Together in Electric Dreams
by Raquel Beth
Summary: The Doctor keeps having recurring dreams of a child. What will he do when he realises exactly who she is and will he be able to keep her and his friends safe as he faces his greatest battle? My own take on The End of Time. Reviews are my bread and butter
1. Chapter 1

The stars shone brightly in the sky, much to an elderly gentleman's delight. Clutching a flaskcap cup of hot tea in an attempt to warm his hands, he put his eye to his telescope once again and took in the twinkling diamonds up above the ebony skies. Wilfred Mott spent many a night in his allotment gazing up at the stars. He'd always as long as his memory would serve him, loved space and whenever there had been strange goings on in London or about the world (like the Christmas Day invasion, the Titanic in the sky or the Cybermen uprising... well to name only a few really) he would be eagerly hunting for news, sightings or any piece of information he could get his hands, eyes or ears on.

To his daughter Sylvia and grand-daughter Donna, this was just an eccentric past-time for a man who, lets be truthful, had seen better days. However it soon took on a different meaning when Donna was due to get married. Just as she was walking down the aisle, she vanished… and not in a dramatic "I cant go through with it way". Literally just disintegrated into atoms. When she returned to the family that night she was a changed woman. Her fire and sharp tongue were ever present (would they ever not be?) but she became a drifter. She'd previously shown little to no interest in her grand-fathers "ET complex" as she liked to call it. Yet soon she was regularly visiting him up at his little allotment where he would gaze up at the sky for hours on end. She showed interest in everything to do with alien activity and would run out the door at the slightest inclining of trouble to go and follow it. Her mother was in despair and never failed to voice her disappointment on Donna's lack of job and ambition, but Wilfred couldn't help but feel slightly proud of his wayward grand-daughter. She's seemed to have developed an understanding for the unknown.

Then one day … she left. Disappeared into the stars with this man, this … incredible man. A man of time. He took Donna away in his little blue box and waved goodbye to her as they went on their adventures through the galaxies and milky ways. Sylvia spat feathers at her daughters absence, while Wilf kept quiet and continued to look up at the night sky. His little Donna - companion to a time traveller, explorer of the universe. He couldn't be more proud.

* * *

Across a dimension, in another universe eerily similar to the one that Wilfred had been living in, a young blonde haired woman looked up at the same stars that Wilf had. From her bedroom window, she had an excellent view of the night sky, especially once she had switched the light out. Like Wilfred she also gazed up at the heavens to see if she could spot simply a glimpse of that little blue box. Unlike Wilfred she knew there was little to no chance of her ever seeing it.

Rose Tyler always did this though no matter how much her mind screamed it was simply a dream and it would only upset her to cling on so desperately to that hope, she could never go to bed at night without spending an hour seated by the window, looking up. She just couldn't.

She'd been there ninety minutes that night and eventually she backed away. She took in the image of herself in the four foot mirror that stood in the corner of her room. It had been nine year since she'd fallen through the void and the years showed in her appearance. Her face remained unchanged whilst her figure was slimmer, her hair longer and gone were the peroxide locks, replaced now with a gentler, classier caramel coloured locks. She dressed in power suits and fashionable stilettos to work. Not many knew that this efficient intelligent woman still wore her comfy tracksuits and trainers around the house. Only her family saw that side of her now : the vulnerable side.

Pulling the heavy duvet over her body, she had to laugh at the irony of it all. Head of paranormal activity at Torchwood, she was well-known for her knowledge of aliens due to her first hand experiences with them. She had an intense hatred of weapons and guns; there was a reason behind every encounter that came to earth and shooting blindly at the unknown wasn't a humane solution. No matter what the threat. Unless they were Daleks that is, in which case she would happily scream "Open fire" till her voice gave way. Despite this authority Rose was still, after all this time, lost.

For always… always her mind would return to him. The one man whom she would give up all she possessed to just see again. The man who had taken her away from her council estate to the stars. The man who had captured her heart and possessed it to that day. On sudden impulse she pulled back the blanket and tiptoed out her room to the one opposite. Painted light turquoise blue with a tiny bed, Rose peaked in at the sleeping child, lying beneath the matching bed set. Hollie Tyler had her mother's natural mousey brown hair and little figure. Rose gazed at her daughter deep in sleep for five minute before her vision became blurred from tears gathering and slowly withdrew out of the room, closing the door. How could she possibly forget the Doctor … when she had half of him living under her roof.


	2. Chapter 2

Up above the starry sky, zooming through a supernova to who knows where, the Doctor circled the controls of his ship, tweaking and testing the speed the consoles. The Doctor rarely slept due to little concept of what was day and what was night when darting around the galaxy. Time Lord's generally required little to no sleep and even then he felt somewhat guilty leaving the ship unattended. Donna had on many occasions marched him to his room and on one rather unpleasant incident had handcuffed him to the bed to stop him getting back up again. That was an image that took a long time to wane.

Of all his companions the red haired woman was probably the most terrifying when it came to handling the Doctor. She was one to back down when it came to making the Doctor see things through her perspective and she never failed to miss an opportunity to pull the rug out from under his feet (his slim figure being a regular target). The Doctor however loved her for it. She was a force of nature and his best friend. And the fact that there was no romantic attachment on either side was a delightful bonus. He'd handled the Martha situation appallingly and he never thought he would travel happily again since he lost …… , but he was wrong and for the time being any way he wasn't completely alone.

The Doctor didn't notice Donna standing behind one of the bedroom doors looking out at him. Standing in her fluffy dressing gown and pyjamas, she watched as her companion tinkered away. His brown spiky hair all tousled and wild looking, she had to admit; he weren't bad for a nine hundred and three year old alien. She'd only woken up for a glass of water but the sound of the engine whirling and the occasional words of the doctor (he actually _talked _to the TARDIS sometimes - Donna found this baffling). She'd long since given up trying to get him to relax at night - he was man who did a mile a minute - adventure or not.

Donna stood and watched her friend move erratically around his ship before backing back inside her bedroom. Donna may have been mouthy and unafraid to stand up to the Doctor, something she was fairly sure none of his previous companions had dared do before, but she also knew when to stop. There was something in his eyes that was constantly weary and tired. Yet he couldn't sleep. He _wouldn't _sleep. It was like he was frightened of doing nothing and she had learned long ago that sometimes it was best to go along with what he wanted. If constantly moving, never stopping, never looking back, was his way of coping with his past, then who was she to tell him he couldn't?

* * *

The Doctor sat down on the bench by his machine and inhaled deeply. There was only so much tinkering he could do to a machine that was in actual fact perfectly alright and able to function fine without his constant tampering and fiddling.

The Doctor loved to stay busy. He wouldn't be the legend he was that day were he not a man who liked to keep himself amused. Slowing down was never a welcome action for him. Slowing down, or "relaxing" as Donna liked to call it, meant he had time for his mind to wander… and it often wandered back to one thing.

He could still remember, nearly nine years on from that day, the image of Rose screaming as she began to fall through the void before Pete caught her and took her back to Jackie and Mickey. He'd stared at the wall where the void had been for what felt like hours, not quite believing what had just happened. Rose was … gone. Trapped. Inside some parallel dimension. Forever. He'd placed his hand on the wall and slowly pressed his ear to it as he listened for her voice. He felt her presence pressed against the wall and he could hear her sobs and the continuous slamming of her fist against the wall. He stayed there for a moment before finally pulling away and walking away to the TARDIS to start again. On the outside, he didn't cry, he didn't speak, he just walked on. Inside he was screaming.

He should have known it was never going to be that easy. It was three days before he finally snapped and grabbed hold of the TARDIS controls and searched desperately for a gap, somewhere, _anywhere, _that would at least allow his image to show through to that world. He finally found it and parked the TARDIS around a sun to give maximum power. He knew he was potentially destroying a sun, but right at that moment, the sun could have crashed into him and he wouldn't have cared. He knew what had to be done for his own sanity.

Her face, as he tried to explain why he could never see her again, haunted him for years in his mind and then she said it, the words that he'd dreamt for so long that she would say. He knew what his answer was and he was going to tell her. He owed her the total truth if he was never going to see her again. Then just as the words were on the tip of his tongue … she was gone. The signal faltered and her image vanished forever. She never heard the words that he had longed to say. In someway he was relieved she never saw him after. He would have hated for her to have seen the tears down his face as the words had to be shut back into his mind forever. If he'd had the choice, he would have crawled up into a ball on the floor and spent the rest of his time lord life sobbing for her. But as always fate would never allow that and no more than five minutes after, Miss Noble was transported into his life (and TARDIS). The chase was back on as fought to discover what had sent her there. He learnt a lot that day. Not only to never mess with Donna, especially on her wedding day unless you want a black eye, but also to keep moving. The pain would be eternal but adrenaline was fun, it was a breeze and it kept the brain occupied. It was only when he was idle that the memories and ache in his chest came back and, for all the terrible things he'd seen and experienced in his many hundreds of years, it was more than he could bear.

Not that he needed to worry to much. Life as the last of the Time Lords was hardly a life which involved an awful lot of sitting down. He only went to bed once a month and even then he only got a few hours. He'd been having random dreams that simply didn't make any sense to him for under a decade. He would be in the TARDIS, hiding from monsters that him, Donna and, many years ago, Martha had run from or sometimes simply walking in a park. Yet every single time, he kept seeing this child. A little girl. Couldn't be older than eight or nine. She sometimes would be stood in the background of the TARDIS, watching him tinker with the machine, sometimes with him and many other people running from the enemy or, in the case of the park dream, sitting on a swing. No matter what dream, what images his brain had made up, she was there. He'd never seen her before yet the Doctor felt calm whenever he saw her. There was a presence about her that made him feel … safe, like there were two forces linking them, pulling them towards one another. The Doctor often woke up confused. He didn't fear her, not in the slightest, yet not understanding why she was ever present unnerved the Doctor. Then he would reason that they were simply dreams of little importance and never would be.

The whirring of the TARDIS engine snapped him out of his daydream and he came back out of his thoughts. Standing from the bench, he made his way to prepare some tea. Being a time lord was thirsty, as well as draining, work.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hollie Tyler sat cross legged in her grandparent's living room with a piece of paper on the floor with her grandmother's cookbook as a hard surface (which had never been used) as she focused on her drawing that she was designing with her tin of felt tip pens. Concentrating intently on her creation and completely ignoring the wittering of the telly that Tony, her uncle was giving his undivided attention. Tony was only four months older than herself yet she was his niece. Hollie found this rather annoying and when asked simply referred to him as her cousin. **

**Tucking a stray strand of mousy hair that had escaped her ponytail back behind her ear, she slowly drew the finishing details to her picture. Picking up her blue felt tip pen, she began to colour-in her sketch of the old fashion police box. Hollie had never seen a police telephone box up close from the earlier generation in her life yet somehow she had an extremely weird fascination with them. It had really all started when she had started having little dreams of them. They were very random. She could be having an extremely ordinary dream of playing with Tony in the park or walking down the road to the shops when she would spot it in a place where it had never been before. **

**Hollie had always had odd dreams. She'd had them since she was a baby. They used to upset her but now she just took them as they came. She would dream of the little blue box most days. Yet sometimes she dreamt of someone else. About once a month she dreamt of a man. He was young, looked about early thirties, tall with brown messy hair. He dressed a little oddly, with a brown pinstriped suit and long brown coat yet, rather bizarrely, he was wearing trainers. Hollie had noticed they were Converse All Star just like the ones that she wore. Her grandfather Pete had bought them for her when she was eight and she'd wore them all the time. If she was going to be running around so much as she insisted on doing, he'd reasoned while giving them to her, then she may as well have decent trainers that would last longer than a month. The man obviously had good taste. The man only appeared once a month if that, yet Hollie always liked seeing him. He was a stranger yet looked gentle. Weary but not frightening. They rarely spoke. They would just stare at one another. Then she would wake and he would be gone. **

**Hollie never told her mother Rose about these dreams. There didn't seem much point. What interest would it be to her? Yet sometimes she wanted to tell her when she had the other dreams: the nightmares. She dreamt of fire, explosions and metal men. Monsters with tentacles, several eyes and all-together unpleasant features. She always woke up shaking and frightened but no matter how many times she tried to tell someone, a voice told her not to. Not only was it embarrassing for a nine year old to be scared by monsters but also who exactly would she talk to? Hollie didn't have friends simply because she didn't go to school. Unlike Tony who went to the local one down the road, Hollie had a tutor. She didn't understand why she couldn't go but her mum absolutely insisted that she stay at home. **

**Finally finishing her drawing with the picture coloured in, she put her pen down and went to admire her handy work. It certainly looked similar to the one in her dreams, give or take a few details. At that moment Tony's programme finished and both him and Hollie dashed outside to the garden to play some football. Tony didn't normally play with girls but his niece was quite a marvel when it came to goal defence. **

**Jackie Tyler came into her living room and started to tidy up the mess her son and granddaughter had made. Seriously, what is it with children? Always making mess. Switching off the telly and picking up the papers off the carpets, her eyes passed over the drawing. Jackie's heart nearly stopped in her chest. Bending down, she picked up the sketch.**

"**No" she breathed, "No, it can't be… how…….?" **

* * *

"**RIGHT!" The Doctor exclaimed, trying to sound more jubilant than he actually felt before turning to Donna, "where next?"**

"**Wherever we're needed I guess." she smiled, circling the TARDIS like the Doctor only not daring to touch anything in fear of making the entire ship blow up. As the Doctor stated many times she couldn't even change a fuse. **

**It seemed they couldn't even go on a bus trip without being transported to some obscure part of the universe. This time it had been some desert made of ash. They'd run into some snotty robber, Lady Christina and some crazy professor who was eccentric to say the least on the way. Lady Christina had asked to come with them but the Doctor flatly refused. He had Donna. Besides he didn't fancy the prospect of a cat fight in the TARDIS with them two. Besides the Doctor had more pressing matters. Carmen, one of the passengers on the bus that made it home, had told the Doctor to take care which he had smiled at and wished her well too. Suddenly her face changed and said with utter, almost unnerving, sincerity to really look after himself and stated that his song was ending. Donna had been confused and just looked at the Doctor … and what she saw frightened her. He looked pale and scared. Really really unnerved. Especially when Carmen said, he will knock four times. **

**Donna normally laughed at the whole psychic thing until she'd met Carman who'd got so much correct (and my oh my how she had checked). Now she looked at the Doctor and despite whatever she could reason in her mind that she was simply being paranoid it was completely evident that he was shaken no matter how lively he acted. **

**The Doctor had sat on the floor by the console for a few hours, his legs tucked up so his knees were touching his chin, just thinking. **

_**Your song will be ending soon. **_**Those words swirled round and round in his brain. Regeneration - was that what she meant? Or was the literal sense? Was he finally about to join all the others? Was there danger coming? He sat there on the floor for many more hours thinking and finally came to a decision about how to handle this. Standing quickly he grabbed the controls to the TARDIS and held on as the ship swirled into action. **

**Donna woke up the next morning letting her eyes flutter open. Jumping up out of bed and dressing quickly, she joined the Doctor in the control room. He was sitting on the bench with his hands clamped together and quickly jerked his head in her direction as he heard her approach. **

"**So then… where are we going to crash into today then?" she asked briskly trying to ignore the pale look of his face. **

"**Um… we're already there." He announced, standing up and gesturing his head towards the door. **

"**Great!" Donna squealed and ran toward the door to inspect where they had landed. Past, future, parallel universe? Wrenching open the door, her face fell.**

**Chiswick, London, Earth. Her street to be accurate. He'd brought her home. **

**The Doctor joined her outside the TARDIS and looked with her at her house. They stood in silence for a moment. Donna is a shocked state and the Doctor in a sombre one.**

"**You've brought me …home?" Donna finally managed **

"**Yep" the Doctor answered, popping the "p" at the end. **

"**But why?" Donna demanded, "what have I done?"**

"**It's not a case of what you've done," the Doctor answered, finally turning to look at her. "But I need to sort myself out. If something is coming, then this is one thing I want you to have no part in. I'll come back I promise. But until then you MUST stay here." **

**Donna was about to open her mouth to protest before she saw something shining in the Doctor's eyes and for once, no matter how much she wanted to stamp her foot and cling onto him, she couldn't find the words. Gesturing towards the house with his head, the Doctor inhaled. **

"**Besides, I've a feeling that you'd like to see your grandfather." **

**That was something Donna couldn't deny. She missed Wilf and, to a lesser extent, her mother. It had been nearly eight months this time and even though Wilf seemed to fully understand, her mother was probably going to be less welcoming. Still… they were family. She loved her. She didn't necessarily have to like her. **

**Lost in her thoughts, she hadn't noticed the Doctor sneak back inside the TARDIS until the whirling sound shook her thoughts and she spun around just in time to see the police box fade away. **

"**DOCTOR! DOCTOR!" she yelled till her voice was sore. But to no avail. He was gone. Feeling her eyes tear up, she slowly turned away and walked towards her house. What the hell was going on? ……**


	4. Chapter 4

Rose had been sat in her office for most of the night. One of the downsides of Torchwood were the unpredictable hours and how the entire place had to be on scheduled red alert at all times. Aliens were unpredictable and being prepared was vital. Not that Rose was doing a lot. She'd finished today's work early on and it was now a case of sorting a few files.

Rose hadn't even touched them. Not since her mother had ran into her office, brandishing a piece of paper. At first Rose had thought her mother had lost her mind at the speed of which she was talking but when she saw the drawing, her _daughter's _drawing, all the colour had drained rapidly from her face. The TARDIS. There it was, her own daughters handy work. Her mother had said nothing to the little girl until she had discussed it with Rose but even now, six hours later, she was still at a loss at what to do.

Rose always knew this day would come. She knew that Hollie would one day realise that when Rose told her she was special, she didn't simply mean it in the way a mother does with her child: she really truly meant it.

Rose placed the drawing on her desk and sat back in her seat. Her eyes were dangerously welling up.

This was never meant to happen. None of this was meant to happen. She'd just been a normal girl from London. She'd worked in a shop. She'd lived on a council estate with her mum. All that time she'd spent dreaming of a better life and she had achieved it. She just never thought she'd be a single mother in a parallel dimension wearing power suits at the head of a major alien cooperation. Rose would have simply settled for being promoted to manager at Debenhams back then.

She missed him. She missed him so much that it made her chest ache. He'd transformed her life. The Doctor was always in her mind, wherever she went he was there. She'd never met anyone else after him. They all paled in comparison to him. Whenever her friends asked why she'd never shown any interest in some of the more eligible men at work, she'd shrugged and stated she preferred to be alone. Besides she had Hollie and a career to contend with; she didn't have the time or energy to. What else could she say? She'd fallen in love with an alien, fallen through another dimension, was trapped away from him and had never met another man to compare to him.

Losing the Doctor was the hardest thing that she had ever been through. Standing there on that beach as she told him she loved him was the worst day of her life and she'd sobbed so violently she'd been physically sick. Her mother and father had sat up with her all night as she broke her heart over and over again. Slowly she had to keep going. Yet she continued to be sick. Rose simply thought it was a chemical reaction to having been through so much in less than two weeks. I mean she'd fallen through parallel dimensions, seen her father who'd been dead for twenty years and her mother get back together, been separated from the love of her life and would never see him as more than a hologram again. She was hardly likely to feel marvellous. Her mum, who was pregnant with Tony, however had other ideas. After three solid weeks of Rose's mood swings and sickness, she took her to the doctors. They asked her a series of questions which she half heartedly answered. They asked a few more questions before delivering their verdict. Rose thought they'd give her a few antidepressants and send her on her way. Instead they handed her a pregnancy test.

Rose had just frozen and stared in utter shock. _Pregnant? _She numbly taken the test and walked out. Actually to be truthful she'd ran at lightening speed out the door.

Rose had sat in her car for two hours. She hadn't told anyone what had happened. After The Doctor had fallen down the pit and faced the Beast, Rose had thought she would never see him again. She thought she'd lost him forever and would never see him again. She refused to believe he would just give up and clung on to hope with everything she had in her. Yet by the time she'd been forced onto the return ship to Earth it had all but seemed to dissolve. Then she'd heard his voice politely asking the crew to return his companion. Her heart had sung with joy. As soon as she returned to the TARDIS she'd flown into his arms. They bid farewell and good luck to the cabin crew and then set off.

That night they'd clung to each other like they were terrified to let go. She'd almost lost him that day. She'd lost all insecurities and fears that day and with a deep breath, reached up and kissed his lips. He didn't react for a second which made her stomach fill with dread then suddenly his lips moved with hers, his hands snaked up into her hair and they were lost. Lost in their love, their passion, their desperation to stay as close to one another as physically possible. Every voices that screamed in the Doctor's head that this was a bad idea had died away into a whimper as the two of them started to discard one another's clothing. Rose didn't care if she was risking her life by wanting to be by his side forever. If forever was a short amount of time, at least it would be spent with him. That night they became immersed in the heat of one another's kiss, the touch of their fingers touching every single corner of each other's flesh and the utter fantastic, sensational feeling of pleasure and completeness as their bodies finally became one after so long. That night had been everything Rose had fantasized about and the fact that the Doctor wasn't exactly a novice in that department made it an altogether more exquisite experience. They fallen asleep wrapped in each other's arms.

The next day it was all different. They never spoke of it yet they were closer than ever. Rose at first had been confused at the Doctor's actions but then came to realise it wasn't rejection. Quite the opposite. He had not raised the issue because there was simply no need. They knew they loved each other desperately and they had every intension to stay together for however long Rose's natural life span would be. The Doctor didn't really do emotional conversations. He did adventure and life on the run. Rose was his companion in every sense of the word and he would fight to protect her no matter what obstacle. And he had. He'd tried to get her to go with Jackie in the first place when they'd discovered the void. He couldn't risk her getting sucked into nothingness forever. Even if it meant he lost her. Of course Rose was having none of it and fought to stay with him. She'd clung for her life but it wasn't enough. She could still remember his screams as she had fallen towards the void. She knew of course how her mother's stubbornness had saved her as Pete caught her and transported her back into the safe place with her family. Yet now all she had left of him was the memories.

Only now she could have his child inside her. Shaking she drove home and staggered to the toilet. She'd sat curled up in a ball waiting for the results. Slowly she'd staggered towards the sink and clutching the white plastic in her arms she looked down. There it was. Her future in writing. PREGNANT. Her legs buckled as the weight of the situation hit her full force. She was having a baby. She was going to be a mother, to a half human, half time-lord child.

She sat up all night and went through her options. She honestly didn't know if she could cope. She knew that she needed to move on from him so how was she going to do that with his child as a permanent reminder of what she had lost. Then she realised. She didn't want to forget. She never wanted to forget. She would love him until her last breath and if her mum could raise a child alone for nineteen years, then surely she could. Granted, the child in her womb had an alien father but it was as much her child as it was his. Pressing her hand to her stomach, she could feel it move and she made her choice.

Telling her mother was the hardest part. Jackie, what with her own pregnancy making her hormones go haywire, didn't take lightly to the news that her first grandchild had been conceived by a different species. Pete however remained remarkably calm and assured Rose they'd help her.

Rose never went to the hospital. She just couldn't risk it. If the doctors had gotten wind of the fact her child potentially had two hearts, it would be curtains for the pair of them. Her pregnancy went relatively smooth and went the full nine months. Rose had to give birth in her house. It was the most excruciating pain she'd ever experienced in her entire life. She called the Doctor every name under the sun as the midwife (one linked to Torchwood who Rose had befriended and was confident would keep her mouth shut) urged her to push. Then suddenly … another cry. A baby cry. _Her _baby cry. She was here. Suddenly the pain was forgotten and she started to cry with happiness. Her and the Doctor's daughter. A piece of both them that was theirs; no-one else's, just theirs. She held her and was overwhelmed with love. The babies eyes were open and they were his eyes. Big, brown, Bambi eyes. She looked so much like him and she was perfect.

Rose called her Hollie simply because she was following tradition of calling family members after a flower and also because it would no doubt be the most normal thing her daughter would possess.

The years went on and Rose's status at Torchwood soared. Hollie grew at the normal human speed physically yet her mind was advanced. At three she could read and write perfectly with beautiful italic handwriting, at five she was watching documentaries with Pete and at seven, her pronunciation and vocabulary was perfect and fluent. She was a child prodigy and Rose knew if she was sent to school her brilliance would no doubt be picked up on. So reluctantly she saw to it that Hollie didn't attend school. She knew it was hard on her little daughter but Rose knew that if the government or Torchwood got any idea of Hollie's true DNA and species then her child's life as she knew it would be over. She'd been at Torchwood long enough to know what happens. She'd be taken for tests, sealed off from the world. She refused to let her daughter be turned into some kind of science experiment, something poked and prodded and analysed. She'd rather be tortured than let the Doctor's child suffer that faith.

Yet sometimes she would look at Hollie and could see him staring right back at her. She was his daughter in so many ways. Same charisma, same charm, same adventurous nature. She was a tomboy; always climbing trees with Tony and running around the garden. She was interested in everything and loved learning. She had his smile, his lust for life and most importantly she had his gentle touch. She could tell when Rose had had a hard day and she would sit down with her mum and simply take her hand and clutch it tightly.

Rose never talked about the Doctor and Hollie never asked. She simply assumed he'd run off before she was born. It wasn't uncommon nowadays. Rose had hoped maybe she could avoid it a little longer, but evidently she couldn't. Hollie's drawing proved that. How though? She'd never seen the TARDIS. Had she seen it somewhere else? Maybe it was simply coincidence.

Rose sat upright and stood up, picking up the drawing and placing it in her draw. Locking it, she put the key in her coat pocket and walked out of her office. Her daughter was nine years old and regardless of her abilities and knowledge, she was still a child; an innocent in a brutal, corrupt world. Rose was determined that she would preserve that innocence for as long as she could. When she would tell her (and she _would _tell her), she didn't know. But not yet. Not yet.

* * *

The Doctor turned away from the house and walked back towards the TARDIS. Adeline stood at her door, looking as the tall, suited man walked arrogantly away. He'd saved her. She was meant to be dead and he'd saved her. Her death had been written into history; it was destiny that it should happen. The entire course of history could change because of his actions. And the frightening thing was he didn't care. She'd looked into his eyes and had seen a coldness; a corruption of power. Slowly she reached into her holster and drew her gun, closing the door to her home. She may not be able to stop his later actions, but she could reverse some of the damage…

The Doctor continued towards the TARDIS when a loud noise caught his attention. Turning back towards the house, he saw the blue flash of light. His heartbeat quickened and fell back against the TARDIS. She was dead. This brilliant amazing woman who had been so brave and he'd driven her to do that. He'd driven her to killing herself. Trying to breathe, and failing miserably, it hit him. What he was. What he had become. Falling to his knees, he started to cry. What had he done?!


	5. Chapter 5

Donna sat crossed legged on her bed. It had been two weeks since the Doctor had left and every day it got harder to cope. Cope with missing him and his company, missing the thrill of opening the TARDIS doors not knowing where they would end up and, possibly the hardest task of all, coping with her mother's constant nagging and questions. Where had she been? What was she doing back? When was she going to get a proper job? When was she going to grow up and become more responsible? On and on and ON!

Wilf on the other hand had been dancing with delight to see her back. As soon as her mother was out of ear shot Donna told him everything she could think of. The desert, Pompeii, the Ood, Agatha Christie and the giant wasp, everything she could remember from her numerous adventures. Her grandfather had listened with wide eyed awe that you normally saw in a child when they were presented with this years must-have toy. Donna giggled as she recalled all the crazy situations she'd found herself in and trying not to cry at some the more traumatic things she'd seen, but no matter how scary she knew she belonged with the Doctor.

Donna had spent the last two weeks waiting for him. She'd done the regular "back home" things in the first week. Visited her friends, went down the local, did some shopping; the usual mundane things that involved her old life. But soon she became restless and would go out everyday looking for trouble. Anything remotely paranormal she was there. Searching the crowds frantically for his face. Donna didn't want to admit it… but she was scared. What if he never came back? She knew she wasn't the most important person in the world, the most clever, the most patient and obedient… but …. but they were friends. _He was her friend_. Her best friend and he may be a mighty time lord and alien but she still wanted to look after him. Sometimes he wasn't nearly as tough as he made out .

Donna stood up and looked out of her window. It was too quiet round here. No wonder she left. Walking away and out of her bedroom door, she trudged down the stairs, grabbing her coat and she dived past the kitchen hoping her mother's beady eyes had missed her - to no avail.

"Where are you going now?" Sylvia shouted out, putting down her tea towel from her washing up. Donna stopped, inhaled deeply and shouted back "UP THE HILL" before marching out the front door before her mother could voice anymore disapprovals or score cheap points. Maybe if the Doctor came back they could find a giant wasp again and give it Sylvia's address.

Wrapping her heavy coat around her she trudged up towards her grandfather's allotment. He spent most nights up there now on Donna's behalf, with his telescope and flask, looking to see the TARDIS just as he had done so many times before and also to get away from the constant ear-bashing.

Crossing the allotment of vegetable patches and sheds, she found Wilf sitting on his dechkchair with his eye to the telescope. Looking up at the sound of approaching feet, Wilf greeted his granddaughter with a smile.

"Any sign?" she asked feebly. Wilf shook his head solemnly.

"None I'm afraid, sweetheart." Nodding as though she was already expecting that answer, Donna sat herself down on the deckchair next to him.

"Seen anything nice?" she asked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Well I thought I saw a shooting star but then I realised it was a police helicopter chasing those carjackers up Burley Road."

Donna laughed and looked back up at the sky. It was a lovely clear night with a little chill in the air. There were stars up in the sky that she'd walked on, seen being created and transform into the diamonds she could see up above. Some planets that she'd visited didn't even exist yet. They were just space dust floating around, waiting for the moment that they would be pulled together and emerge as a brand new planet; a new source of life for a brand new species maybe.

"How have things been since I last visited?" Donna asked, "Has everything been … you know … normal?"

"Yeah, fair play it's been pretty quiet considering." Wilf replied not taking his eyes off the stars in fear of missing anything. "Same old Wednesday Girls for your mother, the odd documentary on World War for me in the day and then up here at night."

Donna turned to her grandfather slightly stunned.

"You come here _every _night?"

"Of course I do. I don't want to miss anything exciting do I and also your mum wants to watch_ Coronation Street _so I need to get out of the way for a few hours."

Donna chuckled and then looked right at her grandfather.

"I'll take you there one day." She announced. Wilf took his eyes off the sky for the first time that night and looked at Donna with a mixture of wonder and wariness.

"I doubt the Doctor will want some old codger in his spaceship, taking tourist pictures of Mars."

"He'll do what I tell him," Donna stated before giggling. Then slowly she looked down at her feet. "If he ever comes back…"

"He'll be back sweetheart, I'll bet my pension." Wilf announced with certainty. "Look at all the things you two have been through. You're not just his roommate in his police box; you're his friend."

"Then why did he leave me?" Donna asked looking straight ahead into the darkness and trying to disguise the fact her voice was starting to break.

"Sometimes you need time alone. I should know - I live with your mother."

Donna laughed and nodded her head. Wilf and Donna sat on the allotment and chatted for ages. Eventually it grew even colder and they began to pack up the equipment and place it in the shed.

"You go on down I'll lock up here," Wilf instructed Donna who nodded and made her way down the hill. Fiddling with the lock, Wilf could feel a wind building behind him. Clutching round his coat and pulling tighter he tried to focus on the task at hand. Then he heard the sound of a engine whirring, getting louder, louder, louder… He turned round to see it. The police box from way back in the day was appearing before his eyes. He was back.

"DONNA! DONNA! IT'S HIM! HE'S BACK!" Wilfred desperately called out. The door opened and Wilf's joy soon changed to worry. It was him alright. The young tall man with spikey modern hair but he looked different. He was grey, he looked exhausted, he looked, in all aspects of the word, utterly broken.

"Doctor?" Wilf asked meekly, edging forward. The Doctor tried to speak but words seemed to fail him and suddenly he couldn't hold his weight and fell forward to the ground. Wilfred was by his side instantly.

"Oh my word … DONNA!!"


	6. Chapter 6

Hollie glanced over at her mother and giggled. Rose had fallen asleep watching the telly on the sofa about half an hour ago. Not that Hollie was entirely surprised. Whenever her mother had a day off (something of a rarity these days) she would have a nice long lie-in and maybe go shopping. However for some reason today, Rose decided to do something with Hollie. Girls day out. They went out to watch a film and had a McDonalds. Hollie had been surprised but pleasantly. She loved spending time with her mum. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong though. Her mum and her Nan had been acting quite peculiar over the last couple of days. She kept catching them staring at her when they thought she wasn't looking. Like she wasn't quite … normal.

It was ten o'clock in the night now and her mum had let her stay up past her bedtime. The day had finally caught up on Rose and she'd dozed off. Hollie lay back on the settee and got comfortable. Staring up at the ceiling, she let her eyelids close and allowed herself to give way to sleep.

* * *

Donna and Wilf lay the Doctor on Donna's bed and tried to get him comfortable. He was pale and had said nothing. They'd managed to get him down the hill and back to the house, both supporting him with his arms around them both. Sylvia had gone to bed so they were spared the difficulty of explaining why the madman from Donna's failed wedding was in her house and why he looked close to collapse.

Stepping back out of the room and onto the landing, Wilf looked to Donna

"Should we call an ambulance?" he asked not taking his eyes off of the young man on the bed.

"He doesn't seem injured and besides how are we going to explain two hearts?" she asked exasperated.

"Well there must be something we can do, I mean, look at him!" Wilf reasoned anxiously.

"I know who to call!" Donna suddenly piped up suddenly and without explaining further ran down the stairs and grabbed the telephone.

Martha Jones jumped out of her car and ran at lightening speed to the front door where Donna was already waiting. She'd received a frantic call at eleven in the night and had dashed out the door, still in her dressing gown.

Creeping as quietly as possible as to not rouse Donna's mother, Martha entered Donna's room to see the Doctor lying still on the bed. Donna and Wilf exited the room to leave Martha to examine her former mentor and sat downstairs clutching mugs of tea in silence as they both tried to get their heads around what had happened and what could have caused him to be like this.

Fifteen minutes later, Martha descended the stairs.

"Is he alright love?" Wilf asked as soon as the young woman entered the kitchen.

"His heart beat is a little fast but nothing out of the ordinary." she explained, "and he's not suffering from fever which could have caused the paleness and shaking."

"So what then? What's wrong with him?" Donna asked nervously

"The only thing I can think of from what I have seen is nervous exhaustion." Martha diagnosed. "The only thing we can do until he's ready to talk is let him have complete rest."

Donna nodded and thanked Martha, taking her personal mobile number and promising the ring her as soon as he started to get back on his feet. As soon as she had waved Martha off, she trudged up the stairs to her room where her grandfather was standing again. Donna look down and saw that the Doctor had now fallen into a deep sleep. Walking over to her window she pulled the blinds shut and knocked off the bedside lamp before placing a kiss on the Doctor's forehead and silently walking out, closing the door behind her.

"What do you think caused this?" Wilf asked quietly

"Time." Donna answered simply, "He's been running for nine-hundred years - it's bound to catch up on you in the end."

* * *

_Hollie looked around her. The snow was blowing around her as she took in the view of the ice palace before her. The icicle towers glistened in the sunlight and the mountains reaching up into the heavens. It was beautiful, so very beautiful. There was this beautiful song that danced through the air, a song of harmony and freedom. It made her want to cry but it was too joyous for sad emotion. Too perfect._

_Trudging through the snow to have a closer look at the ice palace before her. It was the sort of thing you would imagine in a place like Narnia, yet somehow she wasn't overly concerned of a white witch appearing and offering her some dodgy Turkish delight. Let them turn me into a stone ornament, she decided, I want to enjoy this while I can. _

_Turning to look to her left she almost jumped out of her skin at the figure before. A creature with the body of a man dressed in black yet with the head that looked similar to a squid was staring at her. He had what looked like tentacles hanging down his face and was as bald as an egg. Hollie knew she should be scared, she knew it was the only normal reaction but instead she found herself inching towards him. She knew this was a risk because for all she knew this … creature could be sizing her up as a potential snack. Yet still she stepped forward. _

_Soon she was only a couple of feet away from him. Taking a deep breath , she tried to smile. _

"_Hello." she managed trying to keep her voice calm. "Um … sorry if this is a bit rude but .. who are you?"_

_The creature picked up from his jacket what looked like one of those washing liquid cups her Nan put in with the laundry and it glowed brightly. _

"_I am Ood Sigma miss." He replied clearly, with a voice that sounded a little bit like a machine yet still was gentle enough to put her at ease. _

"_Do you live here?" she asked feeling calmer_

"_All Ood live here miss. It is our planet." he replied. "You will come with me"_

_Hollie could only nod and followed Ood Sigma down the hill closer to the palace. Suddenly he stopped in a spot overlooking the entire palace. Turning to Hollie he picked up the glowing ball._

"_He needs you" _

_Hollie looked at him in confusion._

"_He needs you" he repeated and turned his entire body to the side allowing Hollie to see past him. Hollie gasped and her hands flew to her mouth. In the snow lay a man. A slim tall man with brown spiky hair in a pinstripe suit, long brown coat and trainers. The man from her dreams. _

_Rushing past the Ood creature, Hollie ran to the man's side. Putting her shaking hand to his chest she felt his heart beat. It was slow but strong. He was alive. _

"_What do I do?! How do I help him? What's wr-" Hollie turned to where the Ood had stood desperately only to find that he had vanished. She looked all around her but there was no sign. He'd completely disappeared. _

_Turning her attention back to the man in the snow, she grabbed his shoulders and shook him as hard as she could. After a few minutes his eyes slowly began to open. _

_The Doctor felt cold. Cold and tired. So tired he felt he could sleep for three hundred years. Maybe it would make up for the centuries he'd spent on the move. Yet somehow he felt himself coming back into consciousness. He felt someone's presence. Someone was shaking him, a little roughly to be truthful yet the hands he felt on his shoulders were small and uncertain. Slowly his eyes focused on the figure before him. The sunlight was shining behind her, making her look as though she possessed a halo. Behind the little girl. The Doctor eyes opened wider. The little girl from his dreams. It was her. _

"_Are you ok?" she asked quietly kneeling back to allow him to sit up. Slowly pushing himself up by his elbows, he looked around him. The Ood Sphere. The palace before him took his breath slightly then he turned his attention back toward the child, who was still waiting anxiously for his answer. _

"_Yeah … yeah I'm ok." He replied sitting up. The little girl sat down properly beside him. _

"_Do you know where we are?" she asked _

"_Do you?" he asked never taking his eyes off the palace. _

"_No idea" she replied honestly then smiling, "It's pretty wherever we are." _

"_Yes it certainly is," the Doctor nodded before deciding to inform her of the planet they were sat on, "This is the Ood Sphere. Planet of the species, the Ood." _

"_That squid thing I saw earlier?" she asked_

"_More than likely." The Doctor nodded. "Ood's look scarier than what they actually are. They're harmless, just as long as you don't try to stitch on a translator to them." _

"_Is that them making that song?" _

_The Doctor's head snapped to look at her. "You can hear it?" he asked in disbelief_

"_Of course I can." she answered surprised at the shock in his eyes. "Why? Can't you?"_

"_Oh I hear it alright it's just… I hear it … because… because…" he stuttered before trailing off. "You must have a pretty sophisticated mind to be able to hear it."_

"_You talk like you do this sort of thing everyday."_

"_You'd be surprised," the Doctor stated. _

"_What happened to you?" she asked_

_The Doctor turned to face her. Her big brown eyes were full of curiosity. She looked so familiar yet no matter how many times he couldn't think who she was. She had this innocence about her that only a child could possess and the Doctor envied her. _

"_I did something bad." He finally managed. "I went too far"_

"_What do you mean? What did you do?"_

"_I … I …" the Doctor struggled how on earth did he explain what he had done without sounding like a mad man? "I broke a rule. A very important rule that you're never supposed to break."_

"_Well everyone makes mistakes." _

"_Not like this sweetheart. This one could have spelt trouble for so many people." _

_He then turned to the little girl and realised for all the years she'd appeared, he didn't know a single thing about her._

"_What's your name?"_

"_Hollie." She answered shyly but managing to smile. _

"_That's a pretty name."_

"_Thanks. What's yours?" _

"_I'm the Doctor." _

"_Doctor who?"_

"_No, just 'The Doctor'" _

"_That's an … interesting name." she concluded._

_The Doctor chuckled for the first time and Hollie smiled at the sound. _

"_Where's your parents?" he asked, "I doubt they'd be too happy about you sitting in the snow on an alien planet with no coat on." _

_Hollie hadn't noticed the cold. It felt like a simple breeze to her. _

"_My mum likes aliens, she works with them and I don't have a dad." Hollie went quiet for a second before turning to him again. "What about you? You got any family?"_

_The Doctor stiffened and Hollie worried that she'd asked the wrong question. The worry got stronger when she saw the Doctor's eyes clouding with tears. Instantly she placed her hand on his and squeezed it like she did with her mum when she was upset. The Doctor suddenly felt calmer and could feel the pain leaving him a little. _

"_I used to but they're all … gone now." he managed. _

"_Do you have any friends?" she asked _

"_Yeah, I've got one. Donna. She's terrifying and she's marvellous." _

"_Sounds great." Hollie laughed_

"_Although I did have this other friend." The Doctor said suddenly. "She was … special." _

"_Is she gone too?"_

"_Yep."_

"_Is she dead?" Hollie quietly asked._

"_Oh no, she is soo alive. Just a long way away. So far I can't reach her." _

"_Maybe she can make you better. Why not visit her? I'm sure she'd love to see you."_

_Before the Doctor could argue that it was breaking all the rules, he remembered he'd already crossed that line anyway. _

"_Who is that?" Hollie asked suddenly pointing behind them. Turning the Doctor saw Donna, clutching onto her coat, red hair blowing wildly. _

"_That's my friend." he answered taking in the image_

"_The special one?" Hollie gasped_

"_No the terrifying one."_

_Hollie tilted her head to the side. "She doesn't look scary."_

"_Try abducting her on her wedding day. She makes a Dalek look friendly."_

_Standing up together, the Doctor looked down at the girl. _

"_Go to her," Hollie urged him, "she looks worried."_

"_What about you?" the Doctor asked, feeling reluctant to leave her. _

"_I'll be fine. I'm a big girl." _

"_Well I'm a big lad too and I struggle to keep myself safe sometimes."_

_Hollie giggled and walked with him toward Donna. Both turning together to take in the ice palace one more time, the setting suddenly got brighter like the sun was shining directly in her eyes. Hollie and the Doctor closed their eyes to shield out the brightness …._

Hollie opened them again she was back on the sofa next to her sleeping mother and even though the house was toasty warm, she couldn't help but shake with the cold…

_

* * *

_

The Doctor woke with a start. It took him a few minutes to realise where he was before noticing Donna's sleeping form in a chair at the corner of the room. The sunlight creeping out from under the drawn curtains gave away the fact it was day. Turning to look at the bedside clock he was proven correct. 11 o'clock in the afternoon. The longest he'd slept in three hundred years. His movement disrupted Donna from her sleep and as soon as she saw the Doctor had woken she was straight to his side.

Wilf was soon up the stairs armed with a cup of tea and a hobnob.

"Honour to meet you again sir albeit in less than desirable circumstances."

"Likewise Wilf, likewise." The Doctor smiled wistfully taking the cup and taking a hefty swig. The peace was soon ruined when Sylvia came storming into the room with a face that reminded the Doctor of a bull with a haemorrhoid.

"Right, great, you're awake, now may someone care explain what this man is doing in my house?"

"Sylvia!" The Doctor exclaimed with mock enthusiasm and delight, "you must give me the name of your surgeon , you get younger everyday!"

"Mum! What the hell are you doing?" Donna exclaimed filled with even more irritation than before.

"I wake up and find a strange man in my house. What do you expect me to do? Cook him a fry-up?" Sylvia answered curtly

"Well if you're offering…?" The Doctor smiled sweetly

Wilf soon was able to get Sylvia back downstairs and Donna sat down on the bed by the Doctor.

"So … are you going to tell me what happened?"

The Doctor sat up and looked directly, "Only if you answer me something first."

Donna nodded "Of course, name it."

"How do you fancy taking a trip through to a parallel universe?"


	7. Chapter 7

Hollie gazed out of the window of her grandparent's bedroom. She could see Jackie, Pete and Tony in the drive. Jackie was fussing over Tony's collar on his school shirt as he wriggled, annoyed at her Nan's fussing and prodding. Pete was leant against the Landrover waiting for his wife to quit hassling their son so he could get on with the school run. Hollie smiled wistfully at the scene. Tony didn't realise how lucky he was. He got to live a normal life, go to school, gain new friends. Hollie didn't care how 'special' she was - sometimes it was a lonely life when you're too clever for school.

Hollie looked in the mirror at her reflection. When all was said and done, se really didn't resemble her mother. She had inherited her petite figure and natural mousy brown hair, but even that wasn't noticeable seeing as her mother insisted on remaining blonde (even if it did suit her). She had bigger browner eyes than her mum and a few freckles over her nose. She knew it was pretty run-of-the-mill to have an absent father but she wouldn't mind finding out if it were his eyes, and mouth and other general features that were staring back at her in the mirror.

Why did he leave her, she often wondered. Did him and mum have a fight? Did he not want to be a dad? Was he dead? She had no answers and to be honest she was too terrified to ask. It was one thing imagining that your own father doesn't particularly want to know you but to hear the words for real would be a whole new thing altogether. At least if she never asked she could cling on to a bit of hope that he did want her and might one day want to get to know her. She was pretty clever by a nine year old's standards and she didn't get into trouble (much). She might make him proud if he just gave her a chance.

Looking back out of the window she saw an old van pull up in the drive. She smiled as Mickey Smith jumped out of the van. Walking around the front of the van to the passenger seat, he picked up his five-year-old son Tommy. Mickey was her mum's ex boyfriend yet to Hollie he was a bit like a favourite uncle who always gave you a present whenever he saw her or, in Mickey's case, a big bar of Galaxy Caramel.

Following Jackie inside with his still dozy son in his arms. Setting Tommy down on the sofa so he could get on with his mid morning nap, he followed Jackie into the kitchen where she started making mugs of tea. Hollie wandered in five minutes later.

"Ohhh!" Mickey half laughed, "Here comes trouble!"

Hollie laughed and was presented with her chocolate bar. She caught up with Mickey who asked how her studies were going. She filled him in half-heartedly and then asked how his work was going. Mickey worked at her mum's work too and was something of an action man in Hollie's eyes. He had worked in the army tackling aliens and whenever she saw him he had a new bruise or cut to show off from his latest adventure.

Jackie quickly swooped in and asked Hollie if she could get her notebook so she could check the maths calculations she did the night before. Slightly deflated, Hollie turned and went back upstairs. Mickey turned to Jackie.

"Dear God, she looks like him," he stated half shaking his head in disbelief.

"Tell me about it," Jackie sighed, "but that's the problem. She's remembering things that she can't possibly know about."

"What do you mean?"

Jackie sat down and explained about the picture and Mickey's eyes became wider.

Hollie flicked through her note book until she found the page with her drawing on. She would have found it a little difficult explaining why there was a drawing of a man that looked like he had spaghetti hanging out of his mouth in there. Ripping it out, she grabbed the shoebox from under her bed and stuffed the picture with all the other drawings. She'd sketched all the creatures from her dreams: the metal men, soldiers with rhino heads, the giant human spider, the little creatures that looked like they were made of fat (Hollie liked them: they were really cute for strange creatures) and the tank-like metal droids with voices that sent shivers through Hollie. Of all the creatures that she'd dreamt about, they were the only ones to make her wake up feeling scared. Now the Ood could join her collection of weird and wonderful visions.

The dream she had experienced the night before had left her feeling peculiar. Finally this man who'd been a silent vision in her dreams had a name. The Doctor. They'd spoken and not just stared. And he was lonely. So very lonely and she felt sorry for him. He'd always been so brave in her dreams and now he just looked lost. He obviously missed his friend a lot. She hoped he would be able to find her. It's nice to have someone by your side.

* * *

The Doctor sat back on the bed feeling drained. It had taken two hours to explain to Donna what had happened on Mars and he had to watch as her face turned from shock to horror to pity.

Donna let the story sink in and slowly started to pace the room. She'd always questioned why the Doctor never tried to stop bad things from happening and now she knew why. That sort of power can create a monster. He'd succumbed to that and he was paying the price. Adelaide had stopped the change by being brave and the Doctor felt responsible. Donna slowly sat back down next to him and looked at him as he continued to stare down the bed into space.

"It's not your fault." Donna announced.

"No one else was there. I should have walked away like I was supposed to."

"You didn't want to see brave people die and yes, you used the power in the wrong way but only because you didn't want to lose anyone else."

"Something is coming. Something bad. I know it is." the Doctor's voice started to wobble but he soon steadied it, "and I thought I could face it alone… but I need someone by my side Donna. You were right. All those years ago when I took you home after the Racnoss, you said I needed someone to stop me, to be my friend. You were right Donna Noble. You were so right."

On any other occasion, Donna would have nodded and said "As always" but this time she just felt numb.

"And that's why I need you're help." he announced jumping off the bed. "If this is it, if my card is going to be called then there is one thing I've got to try, one person I've got to see and say goodbye to."

"But jumping through a parallel universe? You've said so many times that it can destroy two worlds"

"Very true, but I've got to try. I found a gap before I'll find a gap again. I called out to her and she came. I did it to say goodbye once, I'll do it again now."

"But why have I got to go? Rose hasn't got any idea who I am." The Doctor was dashing around the room trying to find his trainers. "And what if she thinks we're together? She'll probably rip the universe apart just so she can throttle me."

"Like I said I need someone to stop me." he explained lacing up his trainers, "if I see her again, I might try to cross through altogether and I can't allow that to happen. Besides I'm sure she'd like to meet you. You're the woman who saved my life on numerous occasions."

Before she could answer a decent response the Doctor was already out on the landing and down the stairs. Donna hurried behind him as he grabbed his coat. Wilf looked away from his paper and hurried out to the hall.

"Are you going Doctor?" he asked, "Are you sure you feel up to it?"

"I could have my leg mauled by a shark and I'd still have the energy to do what I'm about to." The Doctor remarked. Sylvia was soon out of the living room.

"Going then are you?" which wasn't so much a remark as a command.

"Ah Sylvia, you see I've just realised that I may never have the pleasure of your company again. So may I just say, should this be the last time we meet, that you are a _supremely _irritating woman." The Doctor smiled sweetly. "Good day!" and with the swift turn of the heel he exited through the front door before he could be slapped (he'd learnt from companion's mother's that they were all in possession of a pretty decent left hook).

Donna was out the door behind him with Wilf. Trying and failing to stifle her laughter, Donna thanked God that he was back - if only for the time being. The Doctor turned to Wilf who was still on the doorstep.

"Wilf, would you care to see us off?"

"I'd be delighted to," he replied even though Donna wasn't entirely sure whether the delight lay with seeing them off or escaping his daughter's ear bashing.

The trio ascended the hill towards the allotment and soon were outside the little blue space box. Opening the doors, the Doctor suddenly turned to Wilf.

"Would you like a look?" he asked

Wilf's jaw dropped but he didn't need asking twice. Practically skipping inside, Wilf disappeared inside and Donna and the Doctor stifled a low chuckle each as the sound of Wild saying "Sweet Mother of God" echoed around the ship. Stepping back out backwards, never taking his eyes off the inside, Wilf looked around the corner of the police box as if checking to see if it had suddenly grown on the outside as well as in.

"It's bigger on the inside!" Wilf exclaimed.

"I've heard the rumours, yeah!" the Doctor replied

"Must be a bugger to vacuum though." Wilf observed.

"I try not to think about it." Donna sighed before catching around her grandfather and hugging him tight, "I'll see you soon. Keep an eye out for us."

"Telescopes are a marvellous invention." Wilf laughed before offering the Doctor his hand. "You take care sir."

"I will and thank you. I won't forget." The Doctor squeezed Wilf's hand tightly before turning and walking into the TARDIS. Donna followed and Wilf watched as slowly the box faded into nothingness..

Grabbing the controls of the TARDIS, the Doctor started pressing buttons furiously whilst looking at the screen on his engine. Donna clung onto the bench as the ship jolted and whirled into action.

"Searching for gaps is a bumpy business." Donna concluded.

"Certainly is." The Doctor exclaimed in a voice that indicated that he was loving every minute of this. "Now all I need is to find the gap, transport a message to her subconscious and she'll be able to find the gap for herself."

"What? She'll be able to hear?!" Donna asked disbelievingly.

"Oh yes she will!"

The Doctor tweaked and prodded the buttons until he yelled out in delight causing Donna to almost fall over with the sheer volume of it.

"We're here! On the outskirts of the universe. Now I just need to find a -"

The Doctor's sentence was cut out by the TARDIS suddenly exploding into sparks, knocking the Doctor and Donna to the ground. The ship shook so violently that Donna had to cling on with all her might.

"DOCTOR! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!" she yelled out as the TARDIS exploded and sparked some more.

The Doctor grabbed onto the controls and looked around in startled confusion. "I'M NOT DOING ANYTHING!! IT'S LOST CONTROL!! IT'S DRIVING US ON IT'S OWN ACCORD!" he yelled out before being thrown back with Donna at the brutal force of the landing. Suddenly the shaking ceased and the explosion of the TARDIS stopped. Cautiously the Doctor got to feet and helped Donna up.

"You ok?"

"What the _bloody _hell was that_!?!" _Donna cried, "If you've just gone and blown up a supernova, I'll kill you!!"

The Doctor was already at the door and slowly with bated breath pulled the door back. If he'd just gone and created a black hole, it really would be the perfect end to the 'perfect' week!

Slowly holding his breath he looked out at - .

"Oh my God." he whispered

"What? Where are we?!" Donna cried out before running to the door and wrenching it back. What she saw didn't exactly match her fears.

They had landed on a beach. A secluded beach with grey skies and rocks everywhere. Donna looked around. No Daleks, no rips in the fabrics of time, nothing. It was just a beach.

"Where are we?" she asked turning back towards him.

"Bad Wolf Bay" he said in voice that sounded far away. Looking back at the TARDIS he stepped back and started shaking his head absolutely astonished and more confused that he had ever been. "But that's impossible. That … that… that just CANT happen! How!?"

* * *

Hollie woke with a jolt. She could feel her spine tingling and every cell in her body come to life. She could sense something. Getting out of bed, she looked out of the window and up at the moon. Something was coming. _Someone _was coming and for a reason she couldn't possibly understand, she couldn't stop smiling.


	8. Chapter 8

The Doctor circled the TARDIS in disbelief. Knocking the wood and using his stethoscope to analyse the ship to see if there was any damage or signs of foul-play, soon he had to retreat from his inspection. Donna was sitting on the sand with her arms wrapped around her knees watching him frantically trying to determine the reason behind their presence on this different Earth.

"Any joy?" Donna asked as soon as he'd stopped frantically tapping and listening.

"Nothing." the Doctor ran his hands through his hair, causing it to look more disarrayed than usual.

"I don't understand what the problem is. I mean, we didn't punch a hole; it was already there to be found. We just … fell through." Donna reasoned in a feeble attempt to make the Doctor calm down.

"I already know that. If we had forcibly punched the hole big enough to fit the TARDIS through there wouldn't be a universe left to cross into by now." Slowly retreating away from the ship and warily sitting down beside Donna, still not taking his eyes off his ship, he frowned deeply. "The hole must have been made gradually over the past nine years. The question is, what's made it this big and who has made it?"

"What do you mean gradually. How do you gradually create a hole in a universe?" Donna asked confused.

"Same as the green house effect. Doesn't have to be an explosion; just time. Chemicals can be just as effective as outright force." The Doctor explained before jumping to his feet and whipping his sonic screwdriver from his pocket and start scanning the area, "But that's where the similarities end."

Taking his glasses out of pocket and placing them on, he shook his head in bewilderment. "This is energy. A energy that goes way beyond planet earth, but I've never seen it before or come across anything similar. It's ancient whatever it is."

"Well whatever it is, it's not going to go anywhere. This "ancient energy" has done us a favour." Donna reasoned getting to her feet and standing beside the Doctor. "You came here thinking that Rose was only gonna get some crummy hologram. Now we're here. She's going to get the real thing. Surely that's good?"

The Doctor looked at the TARDIS for a few seconds before turning to face Donna. Slowly a smile crept up his face until he was grinning manically. "Oh it is. Oh yes it bloody well is!!" and with a turn of the heel, he ran back inside the TARDIS with Donna close behind.

"RIGHT! Parallel England: here we come!" The Doctor announced and with a slam of the gears, the ship jerked off across to it's required destination.

* * *

Rose smoothed down her trouser suit jacket and inspected herself in her mirror. She had a big meeting with the head of Torchwood International that day and she needed to look her professional best. A woman of integrity and position. Even now after almost ten years doing this job she still wondered how she got away with it all. She couldn't feel less clued up if she tried.

Picking up her handbag from the bed, she descended the stairs. Hollie was watching television as her mother had been getting ready. Looking up at her mum's suited form, she smiled encouragingly.

"You look nice," Hollie stated, hoping it might give her mum an ego boost. She did though. Her hair was in loose curls and her make-up was sophisticated and looked professional.

"Thanks sweetheart." Rose smiled. "Come on then, let's drop you off at your Nan's. Hopefully today won't drag too much."

"It won't. Come on then. Allons-y!" Hollie stated jumping up from the sofa. When her eyes met her mother, she was unnerved by the expression on her face.

"Wh-What did you just say?" Rose whispered.

"Allons-y. It's French for 'let's go'", Hollie explained, "Heard it on the telly somewhere. Thought it sounded cool."

Rose finally managed to nod in agreement as Hollie darted out the door to the car. God, what had she done this time?

Hollie and Rose got into the car and drove down the drive towards the stately home of Rose's mother.

* * *

The TARDIS materialised on a street in Central London. The Doctor and Donna jumped out and looked around.

"God it's all so similar to back home." Donna realised looking around at the houses.

"Wait till you see the zeppelins." The Doctor muttered. "God where is she?"

"They must have a phonebook or something in this world." Donna concluded.

"Your mobile!" The Doctor exclaimed making Donna jump, "give me your phone."

Fishing in her pocket and handing the phone to the Doctor, he typed in "Rose Tyler" and scanned it with his sonic screwdriver. Soon the name and address flashed on the screen.

"Oh how good am I?!" he grinned manically before pointing his screwdriver down the road. "I've only gone and landed on her street."

Running down the street to the house, the Doctor and Donna stopped just outside. Rose had obviously done well for herself. It was a good, decent sized house which could easily have three spacious bedrooms.

Slowly walking up the path to the front door, the Doctor could feel his hearts beating at a rate that normally would be warranted by sharing a lift with a Cyberman. Yet now as he was literally feet away from the home of the one person who losing had truly broken his hearts and he could barely breathe.

Holding his screwdriver to the lock, the door swung open and he stepped inside.

He could smell her. He didn't care how ridiculous that sounded; he really could. Her scent of rose-scented soap, honey and something else that no matter how long he could try and name it, he never would. It was something intoxicating. Something that was entirely Rose.

Donna and the Doctor stood in the hall for a while not quite knowing what to do. Donna decided to give him a little encouragement.

"You look upstairs, I'll do down here."

Snapping out of his trance, he nodded and silently started to climb the stairs. Looking around him he wondered what room to try first. Pushing the first door to his right, he poked his head around the door. He highly doubted this one was Rose's room. It was turquoise blue and only had a little single bed. It looked a lot like a child's room. Rose's little brother or sister must stay over a fair bit, he decided. Must be spoilt rotten, lucky thing. Closing the door, he tried the next door. This bedroom was rather empty looking. It was well-cleaned but bare and was obviously just a guest room.

Trying the next bedroom he found his location. With white painted walls, with a matching duvet set and curtains, the room had beauty products on the dressing table that looked disarrayed. The king size bed took up most of the room. The Doctor wandered around the bed to the right hand side and sat himself down on the bed.

Suddenly on impulse, he lay his side down so his head was resting on the big pillow. Closing his eyes, he inhaled her scent that was now stronger than ever. His head was swimming with memories that he'd long since buried deep down inside him. Her laugh, her smile, the way she would hold his hand. How he'd survived without her, he would never know to the day he last drew breath.

Donna walked around the living room looking for clues as to Rose's life now. She obviously earned a fair bit, she wouldn't be able to afford this sort of place without a bit on cash in the bank. But what else? What about personally?

Looking at the mantelpiece she saw photos. The first one was of Rose with what must have been her mum and dad. They looked nice, Jackie was exactly as the Doctor had described her, Donna observed. There was another picture of Rose with two children. They both looked the same age. Maybe Jackie had twins? They were a little boy and girl, both about nine, with the boy with short blonde hair and blue eyes. The little girl however had big brown eyes and mousy brown hair. She was a pretty little thing and yet she looked … familiar.

The Doctor came downstairs a few minutes later. His eyes looked a little red but Donna pretended not to notice. Looking at the clock on the wall, Donna noticed it was nearly four o'clock in the afternoon. If Rose was in work, she'd be home soon.

"She has nice taste, fair play," Donna observed, looking at the matching furniture.

"Yeah, she often like pretty things. Good eye for them." The Doctor agreed.

"She's grown up quite a lot." Donna mentioned, nodding her head towards the photos on the mantelpiece. The Doctor walked over to look at them. Donna was looking through the draws.

"Do you have any idea where she was working when you last saw her? Maybe if we get the number and ring the company someone could give her the message to come home straight away and then you two -" Donna turned to the Doctor to find him motionless. He was standing, staring at one of the pictures. The picture of Rose and the two children. Only he wasn't staring at Rose; he was staring at the little girl.


	9. Chapter 9

Rose threaded her fingers through her hair. The meeting had gone better than she had originally expected but she was still drained from talking about statistics and strategic defences. Of all the parts of Torchwood that were full of adrenaline and life on the edge, that was the one mundane thing about it and it never got any more entertaining. Hollie was looking out of the car window at the houses they were passing in bored interest. Another day of doing sums for her tutor had gone by slowly. She enjoyed work as it kept her occupied but she felt like she was missing something. She'd woken so excited the night before with a feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was gonna happen but the day had just turned into a day like any other and Hollie couldn't help but feel disappointed and rather irritated at the state of play her life was becoming.

Rose fiddled with the radio to change the station as they entered the street. Hollie looked to the left down the alleyway between two houses when she saw it. Hidden from outright public view yet still visible from her angle. The police box.

Hollie stared out in disbelief as they drove past it. Rose finished fiddling with the controls and her eyes went back on the road. She hadn't seen it. Hollie shut her eyes tight for a second. Maybe she hadn't woke up after all. Maybe she was having another dream. Yet after a minute of pinching her leg she came to the conclusion that she was very much awake.

Rose parked in their drive way, snapping Hollie out of her trance. Stepping out of the car, Hollie never took her eyes off the spot where she knew the TARDIS was hidden behind. Had she just imagined it? No, she wasn't one for seeing things, cancelling out her dreams of course. She knew what she had seen. Rose was walking up the drive, rooting through her bag

"Come on darling. We'd better get a start on th-" Rose words died in her mouth when she caught a glimpse of the front door. It was off the latch. Feeling panic rise in her, she quickly turned to Hollie.

"Hollie come here!" Hollie quickly stepped up to where her mum was standing. "Go and wait in the garden. When I say it's alright, you can come in." Without arguing, the little girl dashed around the side of the house and through the gate into the large back door garden. Rose watched until she was safely out of view before picking up a shovel from against the wall and slowly creeping through the front door. If burglars were still there she wasn't going to let them leave without a fight.

Slowly she edged towards the door of her living room. She could hear movement. They were probably after the television - it was a HD sound system state of the art one she'd got as a treat to herself and it was worth a good bit of money. Using the spade to push open the door, she quickly flew around brandishing the garden utensil as a weapon… and promptly dropped it when she saw the two faces staring back at her. One was a woman with red long hair, looked early to mid thirties and casually yet smartly dressed. The other was a face that had never left her mind in an entire decade. Not a day showed on his face, his hair was still rich brown and spiky, suit unchanged and eyes still burning into her soul. His face still beautiful and wary yet with a spark still dancing along his face. It was him. He was back.

"Hello Rose."

Hollie felt the breeze whip around her as the tingling in her spine got stronger than ever. There was no denying it. Something _was _coming. Then she realised. The blue box, the house being open. Forget coming. Something was already _here_…

The Doctor's heart were going into turbo boost. There she was. Hair was longer and a more gentle colour, her clothes screamed professional and efficient and her make-up was natural. But she was still there. Those eyes, those lips, that nose, they were unchanged. She was unchanged.

Slowly she stepped forward as though scared he would disappear again if she moved to quickly or suddenly. She was shaking, her eyes were wide and the Doctor was worried for a moment that her legs might just give way and she would collapse. Without a word she slowly placed a hand on his chest and felt the heart beat pulsing underneath his suit. Moving his hand to his right she felt the other. Still ever present and beating strong. It seemed to be pounding all the more harder at her touch. Raising her head to look into his eyes, she felt herself drowning.

"It's really you," she breathed. The Doctor nodded. Without hesitation, Rose flung her arms around him which he returned with pleasure. Clinging onto her with all he had left, the feeling of her touch against him again set him alight. Donna smiled at the scene playing out before her.

Slowly the Doctor and Rose pulled apart yet never taking their eyes off each other for fear of the other evaporating away before their very eyes. Rose started shaking her head.

"You said ... there was no way… not ever… how?"

"I barely know myself. But I'm here now." The Doctor threaded his finger down her hair, relishing the softness. Rose finally noticed Donna again turning back to her.

"I'm Donna, I'm his friend." she quickly explained before the question could be asked. Rose would have felt put out on any other occasion to meet the Doctor's latest companion, but this was too joyous a moment and besides she liked the look of Donna. Smiling at her, she then turned her attention back toward the Doctor. She was trying not to cry really passionately trying but it was getting hard. She wanted to cling to him like a small child and beg him to never ever leave her again and at the same time she wanted to punch him in the face for all the years they'd lost. Instead she could only stare as he circled the room, inspecting her furniture. Donna decided to give them a little privacy and went to step into the kitchen.

"I'll … go and make us some tea." She managed before exiting the living room.

The Doctor looked around the room as if nodding his approval of Rose's lifestyle.

"Torchwood evidently pay well."

Rose felt her cheeks redden. "Yes… it does yeah."

The Doctor chuckled. Even now she blushed at times of awkwardness. The Doctor was trying to keep his eyes away from the picture on the mantelpiece.

"You're a big sister then are you?" he asked

"Yeah Tony, he's nearly ten now." Rose nodded

"Is this him?" The Doctor asked picking up the photograph on purpose. Rose felt her heartbeat quicken even more so when she saw which photograph he was holding.

"Yeah that him. Getting big now." She managed after a few seconds. The Doctor nodded smiling then decided to try and find out who Hollie was.

"Is this his girlfriend?" he chuckled falsely feeling his chest tighten.

"No!" Rose said a little too quickly and loudly. She was shaking now and felt dizzy. The Doctor caught the look on her face and frowned in confusion and worry.

"She's… she's," Rose tried to get the words out but her throat felt like she'd swallowed nettles. She never though this day would come. She never thought she would have to tell him these words. But he was here and the time was now. He had a right to know that he wasn't alone anymore.

"She's my daughter." She finally blurted out. Rose tried to meet his gaze, working up from his feet back to his face, yet when she did finally look at him it was a face of realisation and acceptance, but not from what she had meant to say.

"So who is the lucky guy?" The Doctor finally managed to ask. Inside he felt like he may as well give up and die right now. How could he be so stupid? It had been ten years. What was he expecting, for her to have just have put her entire life on hold for the hope one day he might be able to find an impossible gate back to her? She had been entitled to a life that involved love and a family and someone had obviously given her that. She'd had a daughter and possibly had a partner if not married altogether. That's what the dreams must have represented. It was his subconscious telling him to let her go. Rose was looking at him in bewilderment.

"What? What guy?"

"Well from what I know on human biology it normally takes two people to produce a child." He tried to laugh but it came out like a strangled gasp. Rose stood in confusion for a moment before she realised.

"There has never been anybody else."

"Well then how-?"

"-I think…" Rose cut him off before lowering her voice again, "that you better sit down."

* * *

Donna searched through the cupboards looking for mugs as she waited for the kettle to boil. She was still smiling from the reunion she had just witnessed but couldn't help but feel uneasy. The Doctor's reaction to the little girl in the picture had similar to when he collapsed on the allotment. He'd very nearly fallen over at the sight of her. It was as though he'd seen her before.

Donna went back to the kettle as soon as it had boiled and looked out of the kitchen window into the garden. She jumped back a mile to see the person staring back at her. The little girl staring back at her, the one from the picture, looked as terrified as Donna had initially felt. Her big brown eyes were wide as if in disbelief. Slowly edging away from the table, Donna moved towards the backdoor and unlocked it, stepping out into the garden.

The little girl backed away a little as she approached so Donna put a hand up as if to reassure the girl that she wasn't going to hurt her. The little girl spoke first

"I was right." She breathed, "Something _has _come."

"Hello," Donna smiled trying to be as approachable as possible, "Don't be frightened. I'm not a burglar."

"You're not dressed like one." Hollie laughed

"I'm .."

"Donna," Hollie finished, leaving Donna shocked.

"How did you know that?"

"Complicated story." Hollie stepped forward. "He was wrong, you don't look scary at all."

"Who was wrong? What are you talking about?" but before Hollie could answer her mum appeared in the door and behind her was a figure that set Hollie's soul ablaze. With his spikey brown hair and pinstripe suit he was just as she'd always dreamt. Only now he was real, she was awake and he was standing behind her mother.

Sliding past Rose and never taking his eyes off Hollie, not for one moment, he walked slowly down the garden to where she stood. He had a look of wonder on his face that matched Hollie's. Donna quickly stepped back and watched as the Doctor and the little girl held eye contact. Soon he was only a few feet away from her and slowly kneeling down and balancing on the balls of his feet so that he was the same height as her, they took in the image before them. For Hollie, the man who had consumed her dreams for so long and the Doctor, the child who was everything he had only ever dreamt of yet never wished or imagined he could have, and yet here she was. His child, his daughter. Standing right in front of him. Holding his gaze.


	10. Chapter 10

_**David Tennant has left us now and I'm still in mourning so to speak (he was MY Doctor) so this chapter is for him and the lifelong companion he was cruelly never able to have *sob***_

The Doctor was pacing the room. In the past day his entire universe had been turned on his head. The day before he'd been a broken shadow of a man, alone in the world, the last of his kind. A lonely God some people referred to him as. Now he was standing in the home of the woman he loved, in a world he never thought he would be able to enter with a daughter he never knew he had. The little girl who was now the key to a whole new life. She was a time lady. A new generation and more importantly she was his daughter. His little girl.

Hollie was sat clutching her mother's hand with Donna sat in the armchair opposite. She was shaking. He'd only ever been an image, Donna too, in her head. A dream. One of the little creations that she'd daydreamed up. Only now he was standing in her living room and according to Rose, he was her father.

It all got too much. Letting go of her mum's hand she ran up the stairs to her room, ignoring Rose's calls. Entering her mum's bedroom, she shut the door and burst into tears.

The Doctor looked up the stairs where Hollie had ran. He couldn't blame her. This was making his head spin and he had been to the end of the universe and back. She was only nine-years-old.

Rose got up and stood by the Doctor's side. Tears were forming in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered

"Don't you dare," The Doctor said swiftly, "don't you dare apologise. I've just found out I've got a child, we've got a child together. Don't you ever apologise for that."

Rose opened her mouth to speak but the tears left her eyes and the words evaporated into nothing. The Doctor wrapped his arm around her and held her tight against him. Donna stood and caught Rose's hand in a reassuring gesture. The Doctor wondered how much he had missed, her first words, her first steps. So much had already been lost but he now had the chance to make that up. Then suddenly he dropped his hand from around rose and fished into his pocket. His sonic screwdriver was soon in his hand and looking at his previous readings from the gap on the beach…

"YES!" he yelled out causing Donna and Rose to almost fall back in the sheer volume of his voice. "YES! Yes, of course!" Spinning himself round with his hair in his hands, his eyes were dancing with realisation.

"What? What is it?" Donna asked still a little shaken.

"The gap! Hollie and me, we're the reason behind the gap."

"But how? You said it was already there." Donna asked now completely confused

"And I also said chemicals can do just as much work as direct force. Only it wasn't chemicals. It was energy. Time lord energy." The Doctor explained. Noticing the look of complete and utter confusion on their face, he gestured for them to sit down on the sofa. Seating himself on the armchair he began to explain.

"You see, back on Gallifray, I heard a myth, or at least what I assumed was a myth about Time Lords and their children. Every Time Lord is born with a missing fragment. A person who fits them perfectly as a partner, or a companion or a wife. Some call them soul mates." He let his eyes meet Rose's who could feel her head spin.

"Anyway, when a Time Lord meets the missing fragment, could be a fellow Time Lord, could be an alien, could be a human, and they have a child then the bond between the Time Lord and the child is made. It's a bond that is like a maternal bond, only amplified by ten. It forms energy. Stardust. The bond enables the parent and the child to communicate through external forces. Such as visions or dreams and in doing so it leaves behind stardust. It's an ancient particle so I didn't recognise it straight away. The stardust is enough to pass through dimensions." The Doctor looked to the side as if in thought, "You know I always wondered, how was I able to find that gap ten years ago. How did I get lucky enough to show my image through." The Doctor turned back to Rose, "How far gone were you that day?"

"Um," Rose thought for a moment, "I only found out about two weeks later that I was pregnant so I must have been... five weeks."

"Five weeks pregnant. Hollie was barely formed in your womb and me and you didn't even know she existed, and still, that bond was still strong enough for me to project my image through."

Rose tried to get her head around it and Donna found herself speechless for the first time in her life. The Doctor carried on.

"I've been having dreams of Hollie her entire lifetime and she's been having dreams of me. It's how we recognised each other although it wasn't until recently we even knew each other's names and every time we met in our dreams that energy was passing through the two dimensions and slowly but surely it got bigger and bigger until nearly ten years on, it was big enough for me to fit a large object through like say … a TARDIS."

Rose and Donna sat in silence as they watched the Doctor go through all the things that needed to be done in his head. Finally he slowly rose to his feet.

"And now you'll have to excuse me," he said quietly and walking towards the door to the stairs, "I need to speak to my daughter."

* * *

Hollie wiped her eyes and lay her head on her mum's pillow as she tried to steady her breath. She felt tired. The past few hours had drained her. She'd known something had been coming yet now it was here she couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.

She heard footsteps approaching the room from the landing and slowly the bedroom door opened. The Doctor stepped into the room and Hollie immediately sat up. Closing the door behind him, he approached the bed and sat down on the end. Hollie looked at the Doctor and felt a mixture of anxiety and curiosity.

"Finally we meet." The Doctor managed, giving her a crooked smile.

"At least I'm awake for this one." Hollie chuckled. The Doctor smiled and she couldn't help but smile back. Slowly she inched forward a little.

"Where do you come from?" she asked unsurely.

"I'm sort of homeless." he admitted, "I travel a lot."

"And Donna?"

"Human. She comes along for the ride."

"So how did you meet mum?"

"She used to come with me. She was my friend too."

Hollie sat up suddenly. "The special friend you lost?"

"Yeah," The Doctor nodded sadly. Then smiled again. "I took your advice though."

Hollie smiled, "I'm glad you did."

Hollie suddenly realised something that had only just occurred to her.

"I'm half alien."

"I'd say a bit more than that. Time Lord DNA overrides most over species to dominate the body." Taking out his sonic screwdriver, he showed it to Hollie. "I need you to keep still. Don't worry this will only take a sec." The light shining he inspected her forehead. Hollie held her breath. The Doctor withdrew his device. "Yep thought so. Seventy-five percent time lord." Inhaling Hollie managed to nod her head. No wonder her mum never let her go to school or to the doctors when she was ill.

"But I look normal." She reasoned

"It's mainly internal where the biggest changes are." The Doctor explained

"In what way?"

The Doctor stood up and walked to her side of the bed and knelt down so they were merely a foot from each other. "I'll show you. Put your hand on my heart."

Slowly Hollie placed her little hand on his chest and felt his steady heartbeat. It felt perfectly normal. Then slowly the Doctor picked up her hand and moved it to the left. Hollie froze. A heart beat. _Another _heartbeat. She looked at him in amazement.

"Two heart?" She sputtered. The Doctor nodded silently. "But what about me?" "Have you ever felt like you heart was sometimes beating strongly?" he asked calmly. Hollie nodded. Picking up the flat of her hand off his chest and onto hers so that the flat of her palm was horizontal so it could feel her entire chest. She felt it. Her entire chest was beating.

"How?" she asked

"Your two hearts are joined together and beat in unison so you wouldn't have noticed unless people inspected it. That's why your mum wasn't ever gonna let you go to the doctors. She was protecting you." The Doctor explained. Hollie nodded slowly as the whole gravity of the situation sunk in. She was scared she couldn't deny it. All her life she thought she was just a faster learner than over kids her age. Now it was obvious that it was because she literally wasn't normal by earth standards. But she was excited. There was a reason why she was the way she was and this was a gateway to an amazing new life. A life with her dad in it.

Suddenly on impulse, she grabbed the Doctor's hand.

"Come with me for a minute." she said, dragging him to the other end of the room.

"Why what is it?" the Doctor asked

"There's something _I _want to check now"

The Doctor was led over to the four foot long mirror at the other side of the room. There Hollie stopped.

"I need to know where I come from in my world." She explained, before tugging the Doctor's hand. "Could you kneel down for a minute please?"

Feeling confused the Doctor lowered himself so he was balancing on the balls of his feet. There he looked into the mirror with Hollie as she seemed to be searching.

"There!" she said suddenly pointing to his eyes in the mirror and then pointing to her eyes. "Your eyes. I've got your eyes."

The Doctor looked and there they were. His eyes staring back at him in the form of his little daughter. Big, brown and sparkling. Turning back with his daughter to the mirror, he decided to get in on the act.

"You've got my hair. And freckles. Look," he said pointing to the dusting of them over his nose and then pointing to her little nose where her's were, "exactly the same place."

Giggling, Hollie looked down at her feet, "Same taste in trainers. And look," picking up his hand and pushing them up so he could see the palm and his fingers up stretched and placed her palm against his, "Same fingers."

The Doctor looked at her little hand pressed against his. Hollie was still inspecting the mirror for anymore similarities but it wasn't necessary. She finally knew where she had come from. Sliding her fingers into the gaps in his and clutching his hand tightly, the Doctor wrapped his fingers around her hand. Hollie looked right at him.

"You're my dad."

The Doctor could do nothing but nod. Letting his hand go, Hollie wrapped her arms around him and they held onto each other tightly for the first time. Hollie didn't care what species he was and what species that made her. This Doctor was her father and she was his daughter. And they loved each other already.


	11. Chapter 11

Donna walked back into the living room from the kitchen and handed Rose the newly made cup of tea. It had long been forgotten after the big revelation but after the Doctor had left to talk to Hollie it seemed like they needed something hot and calming.

Rose took the steaming mug and smiled her thanks to Donna. Donna sat down next to her nursing her mug in her hands.

"So how did you two meet then?" Rose asked feeling the curiosity creep up in her

"He abducted me on my wedding day." Donna stated matter-of-factly before giggling at the memory of the day. It should have been the first day of the rest of her life with her husband-to-be. Instead it was the first day of the rest of her life as Donna Noble, alien hunter and galactic traveller. All in all, it was the best day of her life.

"That beats mine," Rose admitted, "I met him at work. We had to run for our lives from alien mannequins."

"I think we can safely say you made the biggest impression." Donna smiled

"So how is your relationship?" Rose asked, feeling a little dread rising. She was confident that the Doctor didn't have romantic feelings for Donna but that normally didn't stop other women allowing themselves to fall under his spell. Who could blame them? He was the most amazing man Rose had ever come across.

"He's my best friend." Donna answered calmly without a shred of irony.

"I'm glad he's got someone." Rose nodded, feeling relief.

"She's beautiful you know." Donna stated, "Hollie. Absolutely gorgeous."

"Thank you," Rose smiled feeling pride rising up inside her.

"Do you think she's gonna be like him?" asked Donna putting her mug down on the coffee table.

"She is like him. She looks like him, talks like him-"

"-No, I mean, do you think she's gonna be a time lady?"

Rose froze. She knew that was coming but she still didn't have an answer. She wanted Hollie to experience the life she had. But she was so young despite her intellectual abilities and mature mind.

"That's her choice." She finally answered and taking a long sip from her mug, she set her mug down with Donna's and the pair sat together, waiting for the Doctor and Hollie to emerge.

The Doctor pulled the duvet up over Hollie's sleeping form. She'd fallen asleep about five minutes ago. The day had caught up with her and she needed rest.

Sitting in her turquoise bedroom on the edge of her bed, he looked down at the drawings in his hands. Hollie had shown him her shoebox of drawings from her dreams an hour ago. The Doctor smiled. She truly was his daughter. They were all there. The Racnoss, the Cybermen, the Daleks; all there in the form of drawings. They'd all been there in her subconscious. She even seemed to know that the Daleks were the most dangerous.

The Doctor was starting to slot the pieces into place. She only dreamt of him once a month and once a month was about the only time he ever went to bed. They'd then been able to cross over into one another's mind and become present in dreams. In that time Hollie had gotten glimpses of the creatures that inhabited his mind and world and the Doctor had never been able to be free of Rose. Not just because he… but also because Hollie was his way of finding a pathway back to them.

It suddenly hit the Doctor as he remembered the initial reason why he had tried to project his image a second time: he'd meant to say goodbye. Time was approaching and his was drawing to a close. Well he wasn't going to just go quietly now. He now had something to fight for and by hell or high water, he would fight to keep this.

Placing the drawings back in the shoebox and placing them back on her bedside dresser, he kissed Hollie on the head and crept out of her room, not taking his eyes away from her as he closed the door. Hollie smiled in her sleep.

Trudging back downstairs, he looked out through the windows on the front door. Darkness was all he could see. Rose and Donna sat up as they heard him approach.

"She's asleep." The Doctor announced before sitting himself down on the armchair. "And I think she's starting to get her head round the whole thing slowly. It's gonna take time though."

"Does she hate me?" Rose asked croakily, dreading the answer.

"No," the Doctor reassured, "she understands now."

Rose nodded and then turned to Donna. "You look exhausted." Rose noticed about Donna. "I've got a spare room upstairs. You can go and have some rest."

"Thank you," Donna smiled, "I think I need it. Babysitting him is a full time job at the best of times."

Chuckling Rose and the Doctor watched the red head climb the stairs out of view before turning to look at one another. The two pairs of brown eyes held the other.

"How have you been coping?" The Doctor finally asked

"Not too bad." Rose replied, "Work keeps me occupied. It's not really a job where you can allow your mind to wander too much when you're tracking wormholes and alien creatures. Besides Hollie keeps me going."

The Doctor smiled at the mention of her name.

"Is she happy?"

"As happy as you can expect. I could never let her go to school so Tony's the only friend she has that's the same age as her." Rose dropped her eyes down to her feet feeling the guilt build up inside. "I just couldn't risk it. I couldn't handle anyone finding out and the consequences that would come." Rose chuckled a little, "Not that she really needs school. She knows bigger words than I do."

"Children born of Gallafray do have a tendency to learn by their surroundings." The Doctor mentioned, "She was surrounded by adults so she learnt by their standards. If she were sent to school, she would be surrounded by children so she would only be educated by undeveloped minds -"

"-And she wouldn't be so lonely." Rose finished.

The Doctor's eyes dropped to the floor. Being so gifted could be the most horrendous curse. It normally meant that the person would become isolated and always looking in on people, unable to join them. The Doctor had done more than just scan her DNA; he'd seen into the window of her mind and had seen that she was more like him than he ever could have imagined. Behind the brave, adventurous little face who was genuinely hunting for change, adventure and the unknown, she was just a child. A lonely little child who wanted to just have a friend to share her dreams with. The Doctor knew all too well how that felt.

"I'm here for a reason." The Doctor said suddenly before he could stop himself. Rose looked up at him, looking confused. "Something is coming. My song is ending they said… I'm gonna die."

Rose felt her blood run cold.

"What do you mean dying?" Rose asked, praying that she had misheard.

"I was told 'He will knock four times'. Something is returning Rose. Returning through the darkness and whatever that is is going to finish me off."

"But your regeneration…"

"… means nothing if I'm killed before I activate the process."

Rose felt her eyes fill up. He couldn't. Not now. She'd only just got him back.

"So what were you…"

"I wanted to say goodbye." The Doctor admitted but then his eyes started to dance with life, with determination and need. "But not now."

Rose lifted her head a little.

"Before I found you and Hollie, I thought that I had most probably had my time. But now I know that I've got something that I can carry on for. A purpose and I'm not just gonna admit defeat. I'm gonna live. I'm survive." His eyes were wild and dancing. He meant it, she could see and it made her soul sing. Getting up and sitting down beside her on the sofa, he took her hands in his. "But I need you if I'm gonna win."

Rose clutched his hands. She knew he had to go back and she knew that Hollie and her were going with him. Her life here was simply an existence and she had been praying for a way out for years.

"Whatever you've got planned I'm coming with you."

The Doctor smiled and finally pressed his lips gently against hers. The softness took her breath away and she threaded her hand through his hair to pull him closer as their kiss deepened and intensified. The Doctor ran his tongue across Rose's lips to gain access which she allowed willingly. She'd missed his taste, his scent, the way her skin came alive at his touch. The Doctor felt happiness building up inside him (along with other emotions of course…) at having Rose in his arms, in his hair, on his lips again. He never thought… ever again…

Rose pulled away finally to look into those beautiful brown Bambi eyes. Running a finger down his cheek to his chin, she took in his face.

"You look tired."

"Exhausted." The Doctor agreed

"Do you want to go to bed?" "Oh yes."

"Do you want to go to sleep?"

"Oh no…" The Doctor gave a mischievous smile that made Rose weak. Entwining their fingers, she stood and started to lead him upstairs. Turning to him at the bottom of the stairs, she gave him a matching smile.

"I hope you're as good as I remember."

* * *

_The Oods sat in a circle clutching one another's hands chanting. Hollie was stood on the outskirts looking in. She listened as they repeated over and over, "Returning. Returning. It is returning." Ood Sigma was stood beside Hollie. Picking up the translator, he spoke._

"_Your journey is beginning but someone else's must end." _

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Old enemies are returning. The battle is now ready to commence. Lives will be lost. The darkness is approaching and the end is close." _

Hollie woke with a jolt. She could feel the same tingling she had felt the night before, only this time it wasn't a pleasant sensation. Something else was coming and Hollie wasn't excited; she was terrified.


	12. Chapter 12

The Doctor's felt the sun strain through his eyelids. Fluttering his eyes open slowly it took a moment to focus on his surroundings. Looking at the curtains down to the foot of the bed and then onto …

The Doctor's heart went into overdrive. She was here. He hadn't dreamed a beautiful yet cruel dream. He really had passed through the void, found her again, found he had a child by her and now here he was: lying in her bed with her sleeping by his side. Carefully raising himself up so that he could look at her but not wake her, he took in her image. She was so beautiful; her hair resting on her pillow, deep in sleep. Her body was unchanged. Still slim yet curvy in all the right places. His own English Rose in full bloom.

The Doctor stayed there looking at her for some time before eventually pulling back the duvet. Picking up his discarded clothes up from the floor and starting to re-dress himself. Last night had been everything he had ever possibly desired come to life. Even after all this time her touch and taste was unchanged, the ecstasy of having her at his mercy to lavish her with all the love he had been cruelly robbed of giving for so long had made him soar like an eagle and he wanted to keep this moment forever. But nothing last forever. Everything ends and now this moment must end. Straightening his suit jacket, he took in her sleeping form once more before opening the door of the bedroom and stepping onto the landing, closing the door quietly behind him. Descending the stairs and stepping into the kitchen, he flicked on the kettle and lent against the kitchen worktop. It was time to plan his next move...

* * *

Rose woke an hour after the Doctor had retreated to the kitchen. She felt a surge of fear run through her when she woke to find she was alone and his clothes were gone. Forcing herself to remain calm, she quickly grabbed her fluffy dressing gown and wrapped it around her naked body. Tying the cord tight around her waist, she stepped out of her room and half ran downstairs. The Doctor was found seated at the kitchen table, arms crossed on the table, deep in thought. His tea had been made but was still standing untouched where he had placed it an hour ago and was now stone cold. Looking up as Rose approached he gave her a wary smile. He tried to make it brighter and more sincere but his mouth failed him. Silently, Rose pulled back the chair next to him and sitting herself down, she inhaled deeply.

"What's wrong?"

"I've been thinking..."

"About us?..." Rose asked feeling the fear bubbling to the point of explosion.

"About everything. About what we do next."

"_'We'?"_ Rose asked, daring to hope.

"Oh yes," The Doctor replied looking her direct in the eye. "Which means I need your approval first."

* * *

Hollie slowly walked down the stairs. She was trying to feel happy. For the first time ever she was coming down to breakfast, with her mum _and _dad present. But no matter how much she wanted to relax and enjoy the feeling, she couldn't shake the feeling in her stomach. Ood Sigma's words were still ringing in her ears and he gave her no reason to possibly doubt the sincerity of them. Normally she would have dismissed them as a silly dream but her dreams were having a habit of coming to life in many ways recently.

Taking a deep breath, Hollie stepped around the corner and into the kitchen. The Doctor, Rose and Donna were all seated at the table. They all turned as Hollie approached and smiled. She smiled back. Her eyes on the Doctor she felt safer somehow.

"Sit down, sweetheart." Rose instructed pointing to the vacant seat at the table. Hollie did as instructed. The Doctor waited till Hollie was comfortably seated before he started speaking.

"I can't stay here." The Doctor began, "This is a parallel dimension, I was never meant to be here in the first place.

"The hole in the breach needs to be closed. If not then aliens from this world can step in and out of the other and I can't risk that. I have a responsibility to that world to make sure it's as relatively safe as possible. So the gap needs to be sealed."

"So you're going to leave?" Hollie asked with panic in her voice, her eyes wide with fear and a sick feeling in her stomach. He couldn't! Not now!

"Yes..." he answered slowly before taking Hollie's hand in his, "... and I want you and your mum to come with me."

Hollie was sure she'd misheard him. _Come with him?_

"Through to another world?" Hollie asked still certain she'd got the wrong end of the stick.

"You're one of the last Time Lords in the universe. Me and you – that's it. There's no one else. My planet was lost and I've been travelling ever since. Alone. Sometimes I pick up a friend for the ride," his glaze moving to Donna and Rose, "but otherwise I'm a lone traveller. You and your mum can change that. If you want."

Hollie tried to get her thoughts together with little success. This was insane.

"But you travel to different planets. _Alien_ planets."

"Those dreams you have had all your life, those extraordinary, incredible things that you drew. That's just a taster. There's so much out there. All begging to be explored, sometimes saved. Yes, it's not always safe and you will have to run a lot, but when you see what it is I see, because you will see it, it's part of who you are, then you'll be able to see why I've kept going." The Doctor looked her directly in the eye, "but if you don't want that, if you want to live a normal life with your mum and have the ability to do all those normal things that you've wanted to be a part of then you can. It's your choice."

Hollie tore her eyes away from her father to look at her mum. Rose was sat there waiting for Hollie to decide their future and whatever she did decide, she would accept. She love the Doctor, loved him so much she would happily run for her life forever and a day to remain at his side, but she loved her daughter and she had to think what was best for her. So she had decided with the Doctor that it had to be her that made the decision. Hollie looked at her mum for a sign of what she should do, but Rose's face was unreadable and calm. The decision was hers.

Hollie looked at Rose and Donna. Two women who _had _chosen to run. Her mum had been forced to stop only because she was trapped and had taken a job that enabled her to remain as close to the stars and the memory of her father as she could. Donna was a mouthy temp from London who had only travelled as far as Tenerife package holidays could take her and now she was still mouthy granted but wiser, bolder, stronger and had seen the wonders and terrors of the universe and was a better person because of it. They're lives as they had known it were over though. They could now never go back to how they were.

Hollie looked at the Doctor who was waiting...

"OK then."

The Doctor's eyes widened and he looked to Donna and Rose in disbelief who were both smiling in relief and happiness.

"Are you sure?" The Doctor had to be sure, "It won't always be safe."

"Lots of running? Well I've got your trainers, I may as well put them to use." Hollie smiled. The Doctor continued to look at her with utter disbelief. Then a smile played across his face that radiated utter joy. Suddenly in an act that took Hollie totally by surprise, he jumped out of his seat and picked Hollie up, swinging her around the kitchen in an embrace. Hollie laughed madly as Rose thought she might just cry at the sight of her lover and their daughter laughing hysterically in excitement. Quickly placing Hollie back on her feet, he looked to Rose.

"We need to move. The TARDIS passing through has made it bigger and I need to see that it's closed quickly." Bending down to Hollie's height, he addressed his smiling child. "Go and pack a bag." Nodding his head in the direction of the stairs, he winked "Go." Hollie soon ran up the stairs. Donna stood up.

"Thank God she said yes. I need some female company on that ship."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Asked the Doctor looking puzzled making Rose giggle at his baffled expression.

"Well, there is only so many times you can have a conversation about defence shields and gearbox parts. And frankly can you stop talking to the engine. It's quite creepy."

"Oh my God, he still does that?!" Rose half laughed in disbelief looking from the Doctor to Donna.

"Not half! He can have a bloody conversation with it sometimes." Donna laughed. The Doctor shook his head in disbelief.

"God help me! Three females on board. I think I'd prefer to talk to machinery." The Doctor half laughed. Rose then looked at him, all jokes aside.

"I need to see my mum. Need to explain." Rose said, her voice tinged with sadness. The Doctor nodded solemnly.

"I'd better get my cheek ready then," The Doctor lamented, "her slaps are legendary."

* * *

Hollie shoved her clothes into her overnight bag. This was it. The last time she would see her bedroom. She felt a wave of sadness but also excitement. She was never meant to be confined. She was meant to travel which meant home comforts would become a thing of the past. Looking around her room she grabbed a toy bunny her grandmother had bought her as a baby and placed it in with the clothes.

Hollie's eyes fell on her shoebox of drawings. All those weird and wonderful species actually existed and she was going to see them all. Then the message of the Ood came back to her. _Old enemies are returning. Lives will be lost. _She swallowed hard. She was going to be stepping into danger. But what did it mean? Danger in this world? In that case she was glad she was leaving. Or was it danger on the other side? Well she assumed that every planet have different threats all the time. Not all aliens were bad though. She was one and she'd never willingly hurt anyone and then there was the Doctor. He put his life on the line to keep universes safe. Then Hollie realised. Maybe the Doctor himself was in danger. He must have some enemies. Well in that case her mum, Donna and her would have to keep him safe. Sometimes it's the littlest, most seemingly unimportant people who can make the biggest difference. Look at her; she was tiny.

* * *

Rose locked the front door to the house and stepped back as she locked up at it. Her home for nearly ten years and yet it never truly was home. Just a house, a building where she ate, slept and existed.

Looking out at Hollie, the Doctor and Donna walking in the direction of the TARDIS, she looked up at the house again and wondered how the hell she had survived the past nine years. Then she remembered. Hollie. The Doctor's daughter. Her daughter and now they were going back with Donna for added fun.

Sticking the keys in her coat pocket she smiled. She really wouldn't miss this life at all.

* * *

Hollie stood in front of the blue police box in amazement. It was exactly the same. Every last detail. Small, wooden and battered. Yet so very perfect. Reaching out to touch the wood, she could feel a warm heat radiate from it. Like it was alive.

"This is your ship?" she asked in disbelief and awe.

"Yep," The Doctor replied. "It's called the TARDIS."

Looking around the sides, she frowned in reluctance.

"It's kind of small."

"Take a look inside." The Doctor smiled crookedly and raising his eyebrows in a challenging way. Hollie slowly pushed open the door and poked her head around the door.

"Oh my…" Hollie's jaw dropped. It can't be, it was huge! Brilliant and big and raring to go. Stepping inside taking in every detail, she stepped up by the engine. So many gismos and gadgets. All so alien. She felt right at home. Donna, Rose and the Doctor stepped inside after her, all smiling at the look of delighted awe on her face.

"You'll get used to it," Donna reassured. "Just make sure you don't press any buttons on that thing or he'll go greyer."

"Donna I'm not going … I'm not am I?" His hand went to his hair in subconscious worry, causing Rose to laugh at the panic in his face. Hollie giggled too. This was going to be fun…

* * *

Jackie placed the dripping wet washing up on the drying rack, each piece being placed on had just recently been washed by Jackie's hands. Staring out of the window she sighed. Life was slow at times fair play. Tony and Pete were sat watching the football in the living room and for a Saturday morning it was pretty quiet.

Looking up she noticed a wind building up in the back garden. Leaves were dancing round in circles. Jackie frowned in confusion. The weather forecast had said it would be mild that day. Then she heard it. That noise of a whirling engine. Jackie froze. Slowly like a hologram to a real image the TARDIS appeared in her back garden. The mug that Jackie had been washing slipped from her grip and smashed to the floor.

"You alright Jack?" Pete called from the living room. When he got no reply he forgot the football and entered the kitchen. His eyes following where Jackie's were fixed, he too stood motionless. The door opened and that face stepped out. Unchanged. Their daughter and granddaughter soon followed along with a red headed woman they'd not seen before. Quickly coming back to her senses, Jackie ran to the back door and pulled it open, running out into the garden with Pete close behind.

All four of those who had stepped out of the telephone box were facing Jackie and Pete as they approached. Jackie looked from Rose to Hollie to the Doctor.

"How?" Jackie finally managed to say

"Bit of luck on my part." The Doctor shrugged

Jackie looked at Rose and nodded her head towards Hollie. Rose nodded.

"They know."

Pete stepped forward. "It's good to see you again sir."

"Likewise Pete."

Jackie eyes were fixed on Rose and she quickly got the gist of why her daughter looked so sad at having seen her.

"You're going back with him aren't you" Jackie sighed with more of a fact that a question needing an answer. Rose could only nod. "And you won't be able to come back?" Rose shook her head. Jackie nodded trying to control the lump in her throat yet she wasn't entirely surprised. She always knew in her heart if ever the opportunity came, Rose would always find and follow him. Stepping towards her daughter Jackie caught hold of her daughter for what she knew would be the last time and held her as tightly as she could. Rose followed suit failing to prevent the tears escaping. She'd been mentally preparing for this moment for so long yet now it was here it was so hard. Tony came out into the garden to see what the fuss was. Pete beckoned him over.

Jackie held her granddaughter tightly and kissed her hair, inhaling her shampoo scent for the last time. Pete hugged his daughter and Tony hugged his big sister and niece for what he knew, even without the full story, was the last time. Stepping back, Jackie looked right at the Doctor.

"You look after them, do you hear me, otherwise I'll rip open that breech myself and kill you!"

"I will," the Doctor vowed. Donna took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Jackie took her daughter's hand.

"Just be happy. That's all I've ever wanted for you."

Rose nodded, tear marks now down her face and unable to bear it anymore kissed her mother on the head and turned into the TARDIS. Hollie hugged her grandmother once more before finally stepping to join her mother. Donna followed and the Doctor finally stood in the doorway. Looking at Tony he smiled,

"Wanna see something cool?"

Tony nodded and the Doctor disappeared inside. The whirling of the machines started and Tony stared amazed as the blue box that had stood in his garden slowly began to vanish as it took his big sister back to the world she had longed for, for so long.


	13. Chapter 13

Donna, Hollie, Rose and the Doctor clung onto the TARDIS as it made the bumpy transition out of the breech. Rose looked at the screen as the Doctor sealed the hole forever. A lump formed in her throat. The smaller the hole became was the smaller her doorway to her family became until finally it was gone. Closed forever. The Doctor clutched Rose's hand as the silently said goodbye to the world that had separated them for so long. Hollie chose to not look back. It would only make it all the more surreal.

The TARDIS finally came to a halt. Hollie slowly let go of the machine with caution. She felt sick to be honest. She'd just flown through space in a spaceship that looked like a telephone box and even though it looked about the size of an airing cupboard on the outside it was the size a bungalow, if not bigger, on the inside. It got a bit much and Hollie could feel her knees start to wobble. The Doctor however had seen her face and caught on by steadying her.

"You OK?" he asked gently with genuine concern on his face. Hollie nodded and smiled reassuringly. Donna was already at the door of the TARDIS. Poking her head out, she smiled to herself. No place like it. She was back on the allotment. Home.

Rose stepped out after Donna and looked around her in disbelief. Her birthplace. Her original Earth. She sighed and inhaled the air. She felt so excited yet so calm. It didn't bother her that technically back in this place she had been listed as dead for ten years. It wasn't like she had to worry about council tax. Yet to stand here after so long, even though it was all so very similar to the previous world she had just left, it made her breathless. The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS still holding Hollie's hand. She looked around her who like her mother felt overwhelmed.

"It all looks so ordinary." She stated in amazement. The Doctor chuckled.

"There isn't such a thing as 'ordinary'"

Donna looked down the allotment and saw the image of Wilf running as fast as he could towards Donna waving his arms.

"You're back!! Oh saints above, you're back!" he cried in delight.

"Wilfred," The Doctor smiled warmly, "how did you know we were coming?"

"Heard that funny noise didn't I" Wilfred explained whilst pulling Donna in for a hug which she relished. "Like a whirring sound."

"Oh if only you were this responsive when mum tells you to pick up your socks." Donna sighed. Hollie laughed causing Wilfred to notice the young blonde woman and the little girl for the first time.

"Who's this then?" Wilfred asked with interest. More aliens perhaps?

"This is Rose. She used to travel with me," the Doctor explained feeling a blush creep up his neck to his face before looking at Hollie. "And this is Hollie …. our daughter" he said the last words with relish. He would never grow tired of addressing her as that. Wilfred looked at the Doctor in amazement then looked at Hollie who could feel embarrassment take over.

"Your daughter?" Wilf said in a whisper. Both Hollie and the Doctor nodded. Rose could feel the pride rising again. "Well I'll be..." Wilfred gasped before asking Hollie, "So your like him then? You can travel all over the place, and fly that thing, and live for a long time?"

"One day hopefully," Hollie smiled.

"Well congratulations sir! Finally you've got a family again," Wilfred rejoiced. The Doctor could only smile as Rose took his other hand and squeezed it.

Wilfred led the Doctor, Rose, Donna and Hollie down to a cafe just outside of Chiswick. They had decided that maybe it wasn't the best idea to go back to Donna's house after the Doctor had given Sylvia a verbal dressing down. Hollie hadn't been able to control her laughter after Donna relived the moment as they walked in the direction of the station cafe.

Sitting themselves down the five of them ordered tea and started catching up with Wilf over what they had missed. Donna and the Doctor were surprised to find that they had been away a week. Parallel universe obviously had longer days in the view of this world. The Doctor's mind soon wandered and it wandered back to a place where he didn't like. This was what he wanted, what he had always wanted and yet he couldn't help but feel he didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve any of it. The things he had done. Rose and Hollie didn't know what he had done during their absence. The lines he had crossed. The lines he had crossed simply to get to them in the first place. He'd broken the laws of time and displayed a recklessness; an arrogance that he hadn't known he'd possessed, and as a result a brave woman had died. She'd been an idol of his; Adelaide Brooke had stared into the eyes of her savour and decided that the world in which she stood in, her family, her legacy itself was of greater importance than her own mortality. He'd backed her into a corner and in her eyes she had a responsibility towards the future. So she'd killed herself. The changes had been reversed with only her destination of death changed and her two companions telling the story of what exactly happened on that planet. He was the man who never carried a gun and frowned on war and weapons and yet he seemed to have no difficulty in shaping the people around him into weapons. Was that what Hollie would soon become? His latest victim?

Looking deadly pale, the Doctor stood suddenly and ran out of the café, ignoring Rose's calls for him to return. Hollie watched in confusion as her father ran down the street and out of view. Rose immediately stood to follow him but Donna put her hand up as a barrier. Somehow she understood and knew that right now all the Doctor needed was some breathing space.

* * *

The four remaining finally ventured back to Donna's house. Without the Doctor present it was relatively safe to face Sylvia. Rose kept looking around her for an image of the Doctor to reappear through the darkness yet it didn't appear.

Settling down in the kitchen, Donna started preparing tea and blocked out her mother's constant questions about where she had disappeared off to for a week and when she was going to get her hands on that Doctor fellow. Rose couldn't help but smile. Still making a lasting impression even now. Sylvia didn't even acknowledge Rose and Hollie and Rose was in no hurry to introduce herself. Wilf eventually managed to turn up the volume as the introduction of EastEnders came on the telly, forcing Sylvia to back away. Sitting at the table Rose and Donna sat in comfortable silence, both lost in their own thoughts.

"What happened to him?" Rose suddenly blurted out.

"Sorry." Donna asked caught off guard.

"Something has happened. There's something in his eyes, his face, his body

language. A darkness. His fight is still there but its not as strong. He looks … worn down." Donna looked down into her tea. "I know what he's been told. I know he's going to die." Tears filled her eyes as she uttered the last words. Donna couldn't tear her eyes away from Rose's no matter how much she wanted to.

Donna pushed her mug away and slowly Rose learnt the truth …

* * *

Hollie stared out into the darkness of the night sky from the patio windows. She was worried; she wanted to know where her father was. She'd watched him in the café before he'd ran out. His face had grown paler and his eyes were haunted. He looked lost.

She wished she could reach out to him and communicate with him somehow…

Hollie's eyes snapped open. She _could _communicate with him. Closing her eyes and clearing her mind, she searched for him. An image of him flashed before her, sitting on a deck chair by his blue telephone box. He was at the allotment. Without hesitating she opened the patio door and started to walk in the direction of the hill. Wilfred, who was sorting out some old parts from his telescope in his shed, spotted the nine year old sneaking out the back gate.

"Where are you off?" he called, startling her.

"He's up the allotment." Hollie said, "I'm going to go to talk to him."

"Not on your own you're not." Wilfred stated marching out of his shed. "Not safe a little kid like you venturing out in the dark - half alien or not."

Hollie chuckled as the old man walked with her up the hill.

* * *

The Doctor stared up at the sky. Not many stars were out that night. Just a blanket of night sky. The chill was rife in the air, causing the Doctor to wrap his long coat around himself a little tighter. He'd been sat there for near enough three hours and he was freezing but he didn't want to move. The chill calmed him and made him feel less like he was about to boil over.

"Doctor?"

The Doctor turned at the sound of that voice. Hollie was standing a few feet behind him. She turned to nod at Wilf on the other side of the allotment, signalling that she was fine and safe. Wilf nodded back and retreated back down the hill. Hollie walked over and sat down by the Doctor and looked up into the sky where he had been gazing.

"Not really a spectacular view is it?" she sighed

"They have their moments." The Doctor half smiled

"Are you OK?" she asked

"I'm always OK."

"In my dream," Hollie started slowly, "The one where you were unconscious in the snow and we spoke for the first time?" The Doctor nodded to show he was on the right track. "You said that you did something bad. You broke a rule, a rule that's not meant to be broken. But you never told me what. Is that why you're like this? Because you feel guilty?"

The Doctor looked at her. Really looked at her. She was so young yet she was so clever. The Doctor rose from his deckchair and knelt down in front of where Hollie sat.

"Time Lords have a certain power. We can go backwards and forwards into any time period we like. From ancient history to the year five billion. But with that certain power there come certain rules. Some events in history are fixed. They _have _to happen. Some things are just a flux. They can be changed and history wont be too badly effected.

"Only I didn't listen. I broke the rule and changed a fixed event. Some people were meant to die and I saved them. I abused my power and I became corrupt. I was arrogant. No one should _ever _have that much power. Not ever. Someone killed herself because of me and history was snapped back into place. But I made her do that. I killed her."

The Doctor's word were a whisper in the end and he couldn't say anymore. He looked down at the floor to hide how dangerously close to tears he was and also because he couldn't look into the little girl who idolised him as she got her head around the fact that he done that.

Hollie let the words sink in and the reality wash over her. She took a few minutes to digest the information before moving towards his ear and whispering something that he had not in his wildest dreams thought he would hear:

"I forgive you."

* * *

Rose and Donna sat together at the kitchen table. It had been some time since Donna had explained the reason behind the Doctor's trauma and since then they had moved on to discuss over things. For so many years the Doctor had protected them and now the threat of his death was just too much for them to bear.

The Doctor had said he would fight against it but no matter how strong the warrior, it always helped to have back-up. So it was decided. His best friend and his love both decided what they would do and with a single phone call from Donna, it was done.

* * *

The Doctor fiddled with the controls of the TARDIS as he searched for the right spot. Hollie held on to the bench. After telling her what had happened, he taken her hand and asked if she'd like to make a little trip. She'd agreed in a heartbeat.

Slowly the whirring of the TARDIS ceased. The Doctor smiled.

"We've arrived."

"Where are we?" Hollie asked with a mixture of fear and anticipation brewing inside her stomach.

"Well the view from the allotment was pretty lousy," the Doctor shrugged walking towards the doors with Hollie following close behind, "So I thought that maybe you should get a much better view."

With that, the Doctor pulled open the doors of the TARDIS. What Hollie saw took her breath away. Right in front of her, shooting stars, a milky way, a vortex. She was literally amongst the stars and down below was planet Earth, radiating light in all its magnificent glory.

"How am I breathing?" Hollie could only ask.

"The TARDIS protects us."

The Doctor knelt down next to her and smiled at the look of absolute wonder on her face. She was finally experiencing the stars.

"It's incredible." she breathed before a question came to her, "am I going to be able to see all this from now on?"

"Of course." The Doctor answered. "You, your mum and Donna. This process is stunning but only when you have someone to share it with."

Hollie looked at him and took his hand.

"Thanks for choosing me then."

The Doctor and Hollie smiled at each other before looking back out at the stars.

* * *

Rassilon read the scroll handed to him by his messenger. He read the words with relish. So it was true. Time Lords had survived. Not just one but three. And one was a child. Young and impressionable and ready to mould.

Turning to his council he grinned

"It is time."


	14. Chapter 14

Hollie and the Doctor lost track of time as they stared out into the sky. The Doctor was in no hurry for this father/daughter time to end. All the birthdays he'd missed; all the Christmases; this wouldn't exactly make up for all the years he'd missed but it was a start. The look of utter awe and wonder on her face made him want to thank each and everyone of the Gods of the universe.

Hollie took in all the beautiful atmosphere before her eyes. This was her future now. She'd become a time traveller just like her famous father. Just a week ago she thought the closest she'd get to the stars she'd ever get was by taking a job as an airhostess and now here she was! Amongst the milky ways, shooting stars, supernovas and meteors… hang on, meteors?!

Hollie looked at the Doctor and her confusion was mirrored in his face. They both washed as the object left behind fire in its trail through the sky as it hurtled in a direction that made Hollie's stomach tighten.

"It's going to hit Earth," she gasped, "how big is it?"

"Don't worry, it's just a fragment it wont do any damage; everyone is safe." The Doctor reassured squeezing her hand but popping his glasses on to look at the meteor. "However I don't understand why its travelling quite so fast and why its coming from the direction of Mercury. Very odd."

Hollie and the Doctor as it fell towards earth and landed with a little blast of light before fading into nothing. The Doctor felt curiosity build inside.

"I think we should do a little investigating." The Doctor finally concluded.

* * *

Unknown to the Doctor and his little daughter, investigators were already on the hunt. The army of Joseph Naismith were quick on the scene to inspect what exactly had descended to Earth from the stars.

Soldiers inspected the creator that had been created. Through the fire and the rubble, they soon came across a most unusual object. A small jewel that looked remarkably like a diamond. It sparkled under the shine of the torch that a young soldier examined it with, with caution. Eventually he picked it up and placed it in a container handled by a fellow soldier. Backing away from the creator and dashing back to the van, they quickly revved the engine into life and sped off to show their findings to Mr Naismith.

* * *

Rose looked out of the kitchen window, willing the two familiar figures that she longed to see so badly to come into view. It had been three hours since Rose had realised Hollie's disappearance and had ran up the hill to see both her daughter and the father of her child only to find the TARDIS gone and the duo nowhere in sight. Rose trusted the Doctor with the little lass but her mind would be put to ease just to get a phone call to say they were safe.

It was two in the morning now and the rest of the residents of the Noble house were in bed. Donna had offered to stay up with Rose but the length of the day had finally caught up with her and Rose had ordered her upstairs to get some much needed rest. Now she was stood in the kitchen on her fourth cup of coffee pacing up and down. She was dog tired herself and wanted nothing more than a good nights rest, but only if she had the Doctor resting at her side. She'd watched him the previous night after their many hours of love making fall into a contented sleep and had marvelled at his beautiful face so peaceful in sleep, his hair all askew and chest rising and falling from gentle breathing. She had thought she could have died and gone to heaven that night and would have been grateful to have ended on such a high.

Sipping her steaming mug of Nescafe Gold, she sighed. She knew she should keep calm. The Doctor loved their daughter. Just the way he looked at Hollie, it was like she was the most incredible creature in the entire galaxy to him. His eyes shined with love and devotion and Rose was confident that he would happily lay his life on the line if it meant looking after their child. But that was just it: she wanted them both protected. Losing either of them would destroy her. She knew that when she joined the Doctor, she signed up for a life of danger and destruction but she just couldn't understand at time: what was so ridiculous about wanting to keep the two most important people in her world from harm?

Placing the mug back on the worktop she looked out of the window again, hoping against hope…

"They are safe."

Rose spun around and managed to suppress a scream from the shock. A woman stood before her whom she had never seen before. An older looking woman dressed entirely in a white, smart suit and with eyes that looked about a hundred years old if not older. Like they'd seen so much. Far too much.

"Who are you?" Rose asked defensively

"The end is approaching but the Doctor and the child can still be saved." Rose's eyes widened at those words.

"What do you mean?" Rose asked desperately

"A decision must be made. One decision can change their fate." The woman in white explained. "You must use your defences well."

"I've called for help. I've got friends… the Doctor has friends. They can help keep everyone safe." Rose was babbling desperately but she couldn't stop. This was all so confusing.

"Friends will only act as onlookers." The woman in white replied, her face still solemn, "With you the decision must lie."

"But what decision? I don't understand," Rose replied exasperated before looking out of the window again hoping he would come into view now more than ever, "What is that I have to decide for or against? What must I-" Rose turned to find she was once again standing alone in the kitchen. Moving to the passage then the living room, the lady was gone. She'd vanished. Rose backed back into the kitchen. Sitting herself at the table, she ran her hands through her hair. Just when you thought things couldn't get more surreal…

* * *

The Doctor wanted to throw his hands up in frustration. He'd searched the area where the star had landed for nearly an hour and had come up with nothing. Someone had obviously got there first. But who? Torchwood? No, falling rocks weren't really their thing. Getting out his sonic screwdriver he scanned the area. Humans had been responsible for retrieving it.

Well that was most odd. Who on Earth would have any interest in retrieving something from the sky? It simply wasn't logical.

Turning on his heel, he made his way back to the TARDIS. Pushing open the door he smiled as his eyes fell on Hollie. She had long since fallen asleep on the bench with his big brown coat over her. It had been a long day for her.

The Doctor quietly paced as he tried to gather his thoughts. He had no idea why but something was bothering him. Whatever that object was he felt drawn towards it. Like it was important and knowing that someone else had possession of it unnerved him.

Going to the engine, he picked up the phone that Martha had left for him when she had decided to return to her family. Flipping it up he pressed the number for "Donna's House" and put it to his ear.

Rose answered in a heartbeat.

"Where are you?" she gasped when she heard his voice, "Where's Hollie? Are you OK?"

"We're fine, we're fine," the Doctor assured her, half wanting to giggle at the evident panic in her voice but thought better of it, "we just went on a little trip. Thought I'd show her the stars."

Rose relaxed a little at this and found it in her to smile at the obvious sentiment in the trip. Then a more serious question came to mind.

"When are you coming home?"

"Ah…" the Doctor began, "that's sort of what I'm ringing about. I need to check something out."

"What? What is it?"

"That's the thing, I'm not sure," The Doctor explained, "but something feels wrong. Time Lord intuition."

"How long will you be?"

"Hard to say."

"And Hollie? What about her?"

"I'll keep her safe. I promise." The Doctor emphasised the last words to make sure Rose knew that he truly meant it.

"It's going to be OK." Rose suddenly announced.

"What's goi-"

"I know." Rose cut him off, "About Mars."

The Doctor felt his chest tighten.

"And I still love you." Rose finished

The Doctor wanted to jump down the phone and cling to Rose as tightly as he could and sob into her chest. She had never given up on him even when it all seemed utterly useless, had raised their beautiful daughter and was now willing to forgive this. The Doctor said the only words that he could think could possibly give her a taster of how much that meant to him.

"I love you too." and unable to hide the shaking in his voice any longer, he pressed the 'end call' button.

* * *

Joseph Naismith examined the sparkling diamond with interest. It was certainly a fine looking thing. Yet he was at a loss over where above from the stars it could have come from. Turning his back to the jewel and looking once more at the gate before him, he sighed in satisfaction. The progress of the Immortality Gate was quite something to behold. Since their 'guest' had joined them, all the components had slotted back into place. It would soon be ready and operational to use as soon as all the safety checks were complete. He didn't want Abigail setting foot in there if there was any slightest chance of danger.

* * *

The guards marched down to the room at which the aforementioned guest was staying. Opening the door which was permanently locked and guarded around the clock, the young guard could feel a chill go through him as he set eyes on the man sat on the chair in the middle of the room.

With bleached blonde hair, rough unkempt stubble and a straightjacket firmly in place, the man's eyes were soon fixed on the young soldier in a way that the young boy couldn't help but find terrifying. Swallowing back the lump in his throat, he edged closer and cleared his throat.

"Orders of Mr Naismith. Would you be able to identify this object," taking out the container holding the diamond and displaying it for the manic looking gentleman. The man's eyes looked closely at the jewel in disbelief. Then he start to chuckle, then giggle, then laugh out loud. Soon he was laughing uncontrollably. The young soldier backed away and out of the room quickly. The medical team soon descended the room. The soldier shook himself for letting this psycho get the better of him and rushed back to inform Mr Naismith of the lack of coherent news from their guest.

The Master was held down by the medical team as they worked to sedate him. He continued to giggle nonetheless. The diamond had descended from above and a diamond is a white point star. As the needle went into his neck, he let out one last gasp of laughter.

They were back and now all he had to do was fix the gateway for them to cross.


	15. Chapter 15

Rose drummed her nails against her mug of tea as she stared out of the café window. They had agreed nine o'clock she remembered and it was only quarter to, yet she still couldn't help but feel really nervous.

Donna and Wilfred were sat with her. They had both been relieved to hear that the Doctor had been in touch and Hollie and him were safe yet to hear him go to investigate some unknown object that had gone missing seemed beyond odd and they were now more convinced than ever that it was best to be by his side.

Rose looked out of the window just in time to see Martha Jones jump out of her car. Rose swallowed. Of all the people she had called for help, Martha was the one she felt most nervous about. This was the woman who had fallen for the Doctor after all and whom the Doctor himself described as brilliant. Not only that Rose could see. She was an attractive woman. No, not attractive; _gorgeous_. Slim, flawless skin with a head of lush black shoulder length hair. Rose could feel her stomach tighten.

Martha soon came into the café and was waved down by Donna. The two women shared a quick hug.

"Any news?" Martha quickly asked

"He's been in touch. He says he's fine."

"Oh thank goodness." Martha breathed in relief. Soon her eyes fell on Rose.

"Hi, have we met?" she asked politely

"No, I'm Rose. Rose Tyler."

Martha's jaw dropped and her eyes widened. "Oh my God. He got you back." Rose couldn't help but smile. He'd mentioned her then.

Martha didn't have time to be too shocked though. Soon a woman in her late forties came through the café door. Brown hair to her shoulders, smartly dressed and with a look that just screamed "graceful aging". Sarah Jane Smith herself.

Sarah quickly recognised Rose and was promptly pulling her close for a hug which was warmly reciprocated.

"Your safe." She smiled

"Oh yes," Rose replied.

Sarah introduced herself to Martha, Donna and Wilfred. Sitting down she quickly learnt who everyone was and she herself was relieved to find that the Doctor appeared to be safe for the time being.

Finally the last of Donna and Rose's phonebook bounded into the café. A tall, dark, handsome man wearing a long heavy overcoat that looked similar to the ones worn in the First World War came striding through the café. Donna's eyes lit up at the sight of this visitor.

"Well aren't we the Motley crew." Captain Jack Harkness announced in his trademark American accent before smiling at the sight of Rose. "Miss Tyler, it's been far too long."

With them finally all seated, Donna and Rose took it in turns to explain the situation. Jack, Sarah-Jane and Martha all listened intently as they were led through the four knocks prophecy and the Mars incident. Finally Donna and Rose stopped to let it all sink in.

"So we need to find out where he may have gone?" Martha asked

"Absolutely." Donna nodded, "if something is coming, I think we know a thing or two about aliens."

"You may want to check here then." Jack fished into his pocket to brandish a photo and laying it down on the table. It was a photo of a mansion, stately looking and extravagant. "This is the Naismith mansion. Years ago after Torchwood fell, an alien device was lost. We've been searching for years for it and now we have found alien activity coming from this place."

"What is it and what would they want with it?" Martha asked

"That's just it, we don't know. It was never identified." Jack explained, "Joseph Naismith must have recovered it and kept it hidden for years, probably thinking that enough time has passed for him to now use it."

"Is he human?" Wilfred asked

"We've got his DNA," Martha answered, "nothing abnormal. He's a human."

"But that's just it. Joseph Naismith has an obsession with anything paranormal. If you want to know a name of someone who would have been onto the case as soon as that object fell from the sky, its him."

"Well then, I think we should get involved in the case ourselves." Rose smiled

* * *

The Doctor opened the door of the TARDIS and looked around the surroundings of the stable in which they had landed. Stepping out and never failing to check that it was all clear, Hollie soon joined him. After a few scans and a message off his psychic paper he'd soon located the Naismith mansion as a means of investigation.

Hollie reached up and stroked one of the horses, poking out of the stable boxes.

"How much money does he have exactly?" she asked with curiosity

"He's a billionaire apparently. So much so that he can afford his own private army." The Doctor replied while taking out his screwdriver. Hollie looked at the little device with interest.

"What is that thing?"

"It's a sonic screwdriver." The Doctor showed her, "opens and shuts doors not to mention scans for anything unusual or dangerous."

"Am I going to get one of them?" Hollie asked eagerly

"Only when you're eighteen." The Doctor replied sternly before raising his eyebrows teasingly, "I'm not having you unlocking the secret doors to the TARDIS."

Making the TARDIS invisible to the naked eye, Hollie and the Doctor crept out of the stable and made their way across the back of the house with their backs to the wall. Quickly squatting into a little hatch door on the side of the house, they vanished from view just before the soldiers could patrol the area.

* * *

The Naismiths looked on in delight as the components continued to slip into place. The Master had been typing furiously for a solid half an hour and showed little sign of stopping anytime soon. The young soldier who had encountered him the previous night had chosen his position well that day and was guarding the gate. There was something about this bleach blonde haired madman that totally terrified him. He had encountered many mad men in his time but this one - well, rumour has it that he wasn't exactly … human and having looked into his eyes the previous night, the young man didn't doubt it for a single second.

The Master worked away only occasionally taking his eyes off the screen to look at the diamond placed in the centre of the room…

* * *

The Doctor soon found himself in the basement where he found what he was looking for. The walls were covered with monitors, scanners and various other machinery all linked up to a massive panels that reminded Hollie of the solar panels she saw on the roofs of some of the houses in Donna's street. These were enormous though; the two green panels were about ten foot each, slanted upwards and had enough of a gap in-between to fit a few people in.

The Doctor slipped on his glasses and inspected the machinery with interest. Hollie could only look in amazement.

"What is this stuff?" she asked in amazement.

"Well it's not human whatever it is." The Doctor inspected the monitors, "And to add to that, it's also not fully operational."

"Not lost your touch Doctor."

The Doctor and Hollie spun round. Captain Jack and Martha were standing in white coats at the staircase of the basement. The Doctor gaped in amazement.

"What? How? When?" was all he could manage causing Hollie to giggle. This was the first time she'd seen the Doctor lost for words.

"Well we thought if we want to find the man himself, just look for trouble." Martha reasoned. On that note Donna, Rose, Wilf and Sarah Jane popped around the corners of the panels to reveal themselves. Upon seeing her mother, Hollie ran and hugged Rose tightly. Rose clung to her with relief, after finally seeing her daughter for the first time in twenty-four hours before looking at the Doctor.

"Do you really think I was just going to let you and her face the unknown without a bit of back-up?" she asked

The Doctor just looked around him. Even now they were willing to risk it all to help him.

"How did you get in?"

"Well Torchwood do a wonderful range of fake identification cards for this sort of thing and Miss Jones is a qualified doctor. Not hard to pose as scientists when you've got those factors." Jack laughed.

"Evidently," the Doctor commented eyeing them both up and down, "though I had always expected the men in white coats to come for you."

Jack's eyes fell onto Hollie who was still holding onto Rose.

"Who's the shrinking violet?"

The Doctor and Rose looked at each other and Rose bit her lip. She knew she had forgotten to mention something.

"This is Hollie. She's …" Rose tailed off not quite knowing how to phrase it. The Doctor stepped in instead.

"She's our daughter."

Jack, Martha and Sarah Jane were stunned into silence. Hollie could feel a blush creep up her cheeks. Donna and Wilf could only smile at the evident shock in the three former companions' faces.

"Well I'll be…" was all Jack could say.

"Oh, she's beautiful." Sarah Jane cooed stooping down to get a better look at Hollie.

"So you found them both through the breech?" Martha asked never taking her eyes off the little girl.

"Most rewarding risk of his life," Donna nodded.

"Listen, this can wait for another time," The Doctor announced before pointing to the machinery surrounding them, "this can't! Now what do we know so far."

Finally snapping out of the shock of what he'd just been told, Jack stepped forward to the machine.

"It's alien; that goes without saying and what's more it seems the components are starting to slip back into place."

"Who's operating it?" The Doctor asked

"That's just it, we don't know. We can't show ourselves to Naismith as we've encountered him before. He'd recognise us in an instant." Martha explained

"Well it's a good thing I've still got this then isn't it." The Doctor smiled, fishing into his pocket and bringing out a chain with a metal piece at the end. Martha and Jack laughed. The perception filter. "Take it," The Doctor ordered handing it to Jack, "go up and find out what we're up against." Jack took the device, looped it around his neck and ascended the stairs. The Doctor turned to Sarah Jane and smiled.

"It's been a while wouldn't you say?" he announced his cheeky grin still in place. Sarah Jane also smiled before the Doctor swept her up for a hug. Letting go he looked at Donna and Wilf. "You two alright?"

Donna and Wilf nodded before Wilf nodded back towards the machinery. "I take it you see this sort of thing all the time."

"Vinvocci. Old civilisation. Nice enough people just as long as you can pronounce their names. The question is what is it that Mr Naismith needs it for?"

"But I don't understand, how is this connected with whatever it was that fell to Earth?" Rose asked

"If Mr Naismith is as ambitious as I believe he is about this whole operation then he'll need everything that is connected to space that he can get his hands on." The Doctor replied.

"But he's only a human, he can't possibly have any need for it!" Donna reasoned.

"You'd be surprised," The Doctor answered while reading the monitor as the power accelerated. "Some people have an obsession with the unknown and will try everything to just get a taster of how the whole thing works. For some people being human just isn't quite enough." Then suddenly the Doctor bounced back and exclaimed. "OF COURSE! How stupid am I? It's a sick bed! A Vinvocci sickbed."

"What does that mean?" Sarah Jane asked in confusion

"It's a medical device, I thought it looked familiar!" The Doctor exclaimed moving to look at the panels. "This must be why he needs it. He must think it will work on him!"

"And will it?" Donna asked

"Maybe. Depends on his luck. But the question is where is the gateway?" The Doctor's thoughts were disrupted by Jack's presence again. He ran down to the basement at lightening speed and his face was white.

"Doctor!!! He's back!"

* * *

Just as Captain Jack had burst in to give the Doctor the news on what he had seen and more to the point, _who _he had seen, the Master pressed the last button on the keyboard. With that one action the gate sprung into life with the lights in the room dimming as the vortex within the gate swirled into life. Joseph Naismith had little time to celebrate however when the Master jumped across the room and into the gate. Turning to face the bemused billionaire, the grin on his face made the gentleman's blood run cold.

"I think your part in this is done." The Master announced and as he finished his sentence, a huge wave of energy shot out of the gate, knocking all that were in the room unconscious to the ground.

* * *

The Doctor couldn't remember a time where he had ran so fast. His feet pounded against the floor as he raced to get upstairs. This can't be happening, he kept thinking, not now. There's no way. _There's no way!! _Yet as he burst into the room the man who he had thought he had seen the last of years ago, all his fears were realised. The Master smirked smugly at the sight of the Doctor before him.

"So pleased you could join me. You are going to _love _this!"


	16. Chapter 16

The Doctor eyes fluttered open as his eyes focused around his surroundings. His head was sore and he winced at the light. Only when he went to sit up he realised he was totally incapable of moving. Pulling against the binds that he was held down by, the Doctor soon realised struggling was simply futile. He was bound to a chair with buckles and straps attached all over his body with his mouth gagged. Looking forward he saw the Master sitting on a chair the opposite side of the room, his eyes burning into the Doctor's soul.

The Doctor couldn't understand it. The Master had died in his arms and the Doctor had watched as the body of his former nemesis burnt… and yet here he was. As alive as himself. The Master stood and walked slowly towards the Doctor with a smile securely on his face that made the Doctor's skin crawl. How many people had he shown that smile before he killed them…?

"You know we really need to stop meeting like this." The Master announced smugly as he continued to step further towards the chair which the Doctor was bound. "Although not that I'm disappointed. This is quite a treat for me."

The Doctor watched as he approached closer, unable to talk, unable to move, simply totally helpless.

* * *

Jack fiddled furiously with the controls to the CCTV down in the basement below. He'd been unable to stop the Doctor running off but he knew that it was quite simply too dangerous to follow. So now only a view into what was to happen would be a safe option.

Hollie and Rose clung one another's hand with Donna, Wilf and Sarah Jane staring desperately as Jack worked frantically on the wirework of the television. Moving images suddenly sprung onto the screen and all eyes were glued immediately all in united terror as they saw the Doctor bound and helpless. Hollie felt her blood rush around her head as she watched this man taunt her father. This man with a grimy look about him like hadn't washed for weeks and a wild look in his eyes that made her feel sick. Together they watched…

* * *

"You know what?" The Master announced, "It's not really fun when you can't speak." Reaching over he ripped the gagging strap off the Doctor's mouth, causing pain for the Doctor yet he refused to show even a bit. Stepping back and taking in the image of the Doctor at his mercy he smirked, "Missed me?"

"How the hell did you come back. You're dead. I watched you die." The Doctor demanded.

"Oh how you underestimate me!" The Master pouted, "I disguised myself as a fob watch for half a century. That ring I wore soon came in handy especially when I had a few helpers along the way."

"So that's why you're here?" The Doctor asked, "because you have a cult organised by you?"

"A very loyal following." The Master corrected, "Sadly no more." The Master rubbed his hands together which to the Doctor's amazement seemed to create electricity. "All of which their departure from our company had left me with a few added extras." A flash of light went through the Master revealing to the Doctor what seemed to be the skull of him. The Master was knocked backwards by this force slightly. The Doctor could say nothing; only look as he paced the room.

"What have you done to yourself?" The Doctor asked in disgust, "And more to the point what have you done to those people back in that room?"

"Oh well little Lucy had to put her stamp on the procedure of course," The Master muttered darkly, "and them lot in there are out cold."

The Master stepped right up close to the Doctor and knelt down to meet his eye level.

"I _knew _you'd come. Always poking your nose into business that's not your own." The Master snarled

"And it's a good thing I did."

"Oh yes because Doctor I've got a little show and tell for you."

The Master raised his hand which was curled into a fist, making the Doctor believe for a moment that he was about to get hit. Instead the Master looked directly into his eyes.

"Do you want to know what it was that fell from the sky last night?"

Slowly, oh so slowly, the Master uncurled his fingers from the palm and revealed what was lying in his palm. What the Doctor saw made him want to be violently sick.

A diamond. A white point star.

They were coming back.

"At last, we'll discover what we were placed on this tiny little planet for."

"It's impossible." The Doctor breathed, feeling dizzy from this information.

"Oh but it is and that makes it all the more glorious."

The Master stepped back and started pacing the room. "All those years of duty, those days where we stood and stared into the gap in space. It will all come into fruition." The Master sniffed deeply and widened his eyes. "Oh," he cooed, "you've bought some friends with you. You do like Earth kiddies don't you." he mocked. The Master then sniffed again, "something new. Something -" The Master sniffed again, "-familiar" The Master closed his eyes to determine what it was. The Doctor felt his chest tighten. The Master's eyes snapped open. "A child. A Time Lord child. _Your _Time Lord child." The Master started to laugh, "Well, the Doctor daddy. And with a human no less. Have you got a fetish or something?"

"You keep them two out of this." The Doctor growled pulling against the restraints that held him down.

"Oh but this is perfect!" The Master cried. "Three Time Lords discovered as we raise Gallifray from the ashes and one a child. Easy to mould. Easy to corrupt."

"_Stop it_!" The Doctor shouted.

"I think it's time I meet the old school group." The Master snapped his fingers. A soldier previously unconscious on the floor suddenly regained consciousness and rose to his feet. His eyes were dead and face utterly expressionless. Fellow soldiers started to rise from the previously unconscious state. They all stood to attention looking straight ahead. They were like Cybermen without the metal body yet they were under the command of the Master. "Find them and bring them to meet their Doctor."

The soldiers marched off immediately. The Doctor could only watch as his entire world was crumble around him.

* * *

The gang were all ready ahead of them. Rose didn't care if she was captured but if Hollie was in danger she felt the fear grip her. Hollie didn't understand who this bloke was yet she knew for a fact she wasn't in any hurry to meet him.

"What do we do?" Donna asked desperately

"I'm not leaving him. Let them take us. I need to be with him." Rose declared.

"What about the little 'un?" Wilf asked.

"I won't let them near her." Rose assured.

"Rose, this man is dangerous! You won't be able to protect her. None of us will!" Martha urged.

"I won't leave her!"

Jack looked at his wrist with the device attached and then looked at the stairs down to the basement. He could hear them. They were coming.

"I'm sorry about this Rose," Jack apologised before grabbing Hollie and pulling her to him from Rose's grip and wrapping his arm around her so she pressed against his chest. Slamming his palm down on his teleported, Jack and Hollie disappeared into a flash of bright light before Rose could stop them.

"NO! Bring her back!" Rose cried out. "Bring my daughter back!" Her cries were cut short as the approaching soldiers entered the basement and grabbed her roughly as they rounded up the gang.

* * *

Hollie got up slowly, feeling sore and dizzy. She didn't know what had just happened but she knew she wasn't going to want to do it again any time soon.

"Sorry about the rough teleport kid." Jack announced having already sprung to his feet and was running around wherever they had landed. Then Hollie saw. They were in the TARDIS.

"What did you just do?" Hollie asked in amazement looking around to see if her mother had followed or any of the others. They were nowhere in sight.

"Teleport device," Jack announced showing the black object strapped to his wrist. "Don't tell your dad though. I'm not really supposed to use it."

"Take me back!" Hollie demanded. "That guy has my mum and dad. Take me back!"

"Hollie, I'm sorry sweetheart," Jack said as sincerely as he meant, bending down to her level so he was balancing on the balls of his feet, "But that guy doesn't just need your dad; he needs you as well and whatever it is he needs you for, I'll bet my last life that it's not good."

"But we can't leave them!" Hollie argued. Seeing her dad strapped to that chair had made her want to scream with fear having seen him so helpless and even though she was just a kid (an alien kid granted but a kid nonetheless) didn't mean she wanted to just run and hide.

"I'm going back to find them. I'll get them somewhere safe using this thing. And then I'll come back. The safest place for you is this thing." Jack stood up and stepped back setting the teleport ready before looking at Hollie again. He smiled. "You're the image of him, you know that?" Hollie shrugged, she'd heard that so many times now it was nothing new. "See you soon." Jack smiled and with a flash of blinding blue light he was gone again.

Hollie looked around the TARDIS and sighed. What exactly was she going to do now?

* * *

The Doctor felt relief wash over him to see Rose and the rest of his friends brought into the room by soldiers, handcuffed but alive. However that relief quickly turned back to panic again when he realised Jack and Hollie's absence.

"Where's Hollie? And Jack?"

"Jack took Hollie through the teleport. I don't know where they are." Rose admitted her voice wobbling

The Doctor felt a mixture of anger and relief. The amount of times he'd seen to it that Jack didn't teleport but at the same time at least Hollie was safe away from this mess for the time being. The soldiers with their visas over their face all left bar one who stood on patrol. The Master took in all those who were sat down on the floor in handcuffs.

"Oh this is sweet," The Master mocked, "Decent mix. We've got the girlie again." Martha shuddered at his recognition of her. Even now he made her want to be sick. "Oh Martha Jones, always following your beloved doctor. It's all very … pitiful." The Doctor pulled at the restraints as the irritation inside him grew. "And what here? The original Earth girl." Sarah Jane refused to show him any emotion and instead stared coldly right back at him. "Along with Ginger and Gramps." Donna and Wilf too refused to react. "And let me guess, Blondie is the mummy. You always had a thing for blondes." Rose looked at the Doctor with steely strength which told him to remain calm. The Master stooped down and looked right at her. "Where is she?" he asked menacingly

"Do you honestly think if I knew I'd tell you?" Rose replied with venom.

"_Where is she?"_

"_I don't know!" _Rose repeated more slowly so the Master would get the point.

The Master stood and looked at the Doctor. Crossing the room so he was right up close to him, he looked into his eyes.

"Where is the kid? You're her father," the Master suddenly back away, realisation dancing in his eyes, "Oh but she's more than that. Two fragments," looking from the Doctor to Rose and back again. "The stuff of legend. Oh this is getting better by the minute." Suddenly the Master swung his fist into the Doctor's face, punching him brutally. Rose cried out in horror while all the others could do was watch in horror. "_You know where she is now where?!" _

"You can beat me to an inch of my life and I wont tell you!" The Doctor growled. "You're not going to get within breathing distance of her!"

"Fine," the Master announced before turning towards the on-duty masked guard. He immediately marched forward. "Shoot her," the Master ordered pointing at Rose. The guard held the gun in his hand at Rose's head. The Doctor pulled against the restraints frantically.

"Leave her alone!"

"Tell me where she is or bye bye Blondie" The Master taunted. Donna pulled against her handcuffs to try and get to Rose but to no avail. Rose just tried to remember how to breathe. She shook her head at the Doctor. Don't tell him, her eyes screamed. If this was how she died, she could think of worse ways if it meant keeping their daughter safe. "Kill her!" The Master ordered. As soon as the order was given the guard turned to look at him and as quick as the order was given, used the back of the gun to knock the Master to the ground with a brutal force. The Doctor and his friends looked stunned at the Master, now unconscious on the floor and then the guard who's face was still hidden. Dropping the gun and yanking the helmet away from his head, Jack revealed himself.

"Missed me?"

Rose, Donna and Martha could only laugh in giddy relief and amusement. Jack ran to the Doctor and started to try and unbuckle the straps that held him down.

"Where's Hollie?" The Doctor demanded

"Safe. That's all you need to know." Jack replied, frantically trying undo the straps. Wilf suddenly spoke

"I think you better hurry. Look." Nodding his head, they saw the Master slowly beginning to come to. Jack immediately gave up on the straps and ordered all his friends onto their feet. All linking arms, he slammed his palm down onto the teleport device, despite the Doctor's shouts not to. Before the Master could realise what had happened or more importantly what was happening, they were gone in a flash of light.

*********

"What are you doing?" The Doctor cried, "now get me out of this thing."

"We had to get out of there sharpish!" Jack argued, whilst getting Rose out of her handcuffs. "We couldn't stay there."

"He's not going to just let us go!" The Doctor raged.

"Well at least we've got a running start." Rose reasoned while getting Wilf and then Donna out of the handcuffs. Wilf looked around.

"Where exactly are we," he asked looking at the computer bound room with machinery and grey walls.

"Torchwood." Martha replied for him recognising the place immediately. A woman appeared on top of the stairs that led down into where they were all standing.

"Jack!" Gwen cried rushing down the steps and hugging him close. "Are you alright?"

"We're fine," he assured before Gwen gave him a hand getting the Doctor out of the chair. Finally the Doctor was back on his feet and with his friends now unhand cuffed he sprung into action.

"Where's Hollie?" he demanded

"The TARDIS." Jack replied.

"Well that will keep her safe surely," Sarah Jane reassured

"The TARDIS is in the mansion, hidden but it could possibly be found. We need to get her here where we can protect her." The Doctor explained grabbing Jack's teleport. "I'll have to get her and the TARDIS out of there." Suddenly the teleport sparked and died. "No, no, no, no!" The Doctor cried, grabbing his screwdriver and shining it on it to fix the wiring.

"What's wrong?" Donna asked

"The device is failing," the Doctor explained still desperately trying to fix it back into action. For ten minutes he tried to revive the device until finally he put it down and sank to the floor.

"Can't you fix it?" Donna asked

"The wiring is too badly damaged." The Doctor replied staring into space.

"What about Hollie?" Rose asked desperately.

"I can't get to her." he whispered. "She's stranded."


	17. Chapter 17

Hollie looked around the TARDIS and continued pacing around the controls. It had been half an hour since Jack had teleported them there and something was telling Hollie that they should be back by now at least. A horrible feeling was forming in the pit of her stomach that something had gone wrong.

Hollie sat back down on the bench and wiped her eyes of her forming tears. It had all been so wonderful to begin with. Her mum and dad back together and in love; new friends; new world; the whole of time and space at her fingertips at the pull of a few levers in this bizarre yet oh so wonderful police box. Now look at her. She was alone, virtually imprisoned in her dad's spaceship, with no clue or idea where her parents were and with some mad man after her. She didn't feel special anymore. She felt lost, lonely and confused. Was this what it was like to be a Time Lord?

A voice snapped her out of her bubble. She could hear a muffled sound outside of the TARDIS doors. Jumping off her seat and running to the TARDIS door, she stopped dead just a few feet away from the doors when she recognised exactly _whose _voice she could hear.

"I want this whole area searched!" the Master ordered some soldiers whom Hollie could not see. "It's here somewhere and so is the kid, now GO!"

Hollie could feel herself start to sweat and her joined hearts beating so fast she could feel it against her rib cage. Oh, this was not good. The Doctor may have made the TARDIS invisible to the naked eye but she was pretty certain they would be able to feel it or sense it anyway. Looking around frantically, she tried to determine a way out but all she saw was the doors to the other rooms on the TARDIS but no other exits. She was trapped.

Running back to where the controls were Hollie could hear the footsteps approaching. Gripping the controls to stop her legs giving way, she looked at the engine and slowly it dawned on her: this thing can go anywhere in the world, in time and space. She didn't care where. She just wanted to be away from here and the Master. Quickly she grabbed the lever. Now how did he do it?

Pulling a lever she'd seen him pull she reached out and pressed some of the buttons he'd pressed when he'd driven it in the past. The TARDIS started to whirl into action making that metallic noise it always made. That was a start. Pushing two more buttons the TARDIS jerked suddenly and started to shake and jolt more violently than it had ever done before. Holding onto the console with everything she had left, the engine sparked and exploded in places making Hollie duck and scream. She really wasn't a natural at this sort of thing evidently. She didn't know what she was doing or where they were heading but she knew she was going to crash wherever it was. The TARDIS suddenly took some almighty knocks and suddenly crash-landed with a force that threw Hollie back against one of the pillars, causing her to knock her head and fall unconscious to the floor.

* * *

Rose wiped the mascara stains away from her eyes and breathed deeply. She had been sitting alone in the medical bay of the Torchwood institution for a few minutes. She just couldn't bear it; the idea of her daughter being left there with no way of getting to her made her want to dry heave in terror. Rose had watched as the Doctor had sunk to the floor in defeat and saw the fear dancing in his eyes. They may be in Cardiff and Hollie and the mansion were in Chiswick but they may as well be a million miles away in separate universes. They could drive but that would take five hours and they didn't have five hours.

Jack and Gwen had run to prepare a rocket device that would be quicker and Donna and Wilf had rushed off to help them in whatever way they could. Martha and Sarah Jane had taken over the computing duties that came with preparing the rocket. While they were busy planning the Doctor had slipped out unnoticed. Rose had tried to control the lump in her throat but soon she had to run to the medical bay to vomit. Her hands were shaking and she gave over to fear as she sobbed uncontrollably whilst doubled over the toilet.

She slowly rose to her feet and checked her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy. Marvellous…

Wandering out of the medical bay and back into the corridors, Rose went back to look for the Doctor. She needed to have him close to her right now. It wasn't his fault yet she knew he would blame himself. Walking down the corridors she half smiled. The place was almost identical to the Torchwood she'd been head of for a decade.

Rose walked in something of a daze for about twenty minutes occasionally calling the Doctor's name. Suddenly she stopped and looked around her and realised she was lost. She didn't know where on earth she was but it was a dark engine room.

"Great… lost again." she muttered darkly to herself turning to leave. The person she turned to see standing behind her made her jump back fifty paces. Standing dressed in white, was the lady that had appeared in the kitchen the night the Doctor and Hollie had gone missing. Her face was solemn and expressionless just like the last time they had met. Regaining some composure she straightened up as the woman began to speak.

"It's almost time. The decision is approaching."

"What's approaching? What decision?" Rose asked irritably. She didn't need this right now, not on top of everything else.

"She's safe for now." The woman reassured. That got Rose's attention.

"What do you mean? Where is she?" Rose urged.

"She's safe but the danger is still approaching and the darkness is coming."

"Gallifray? Gallifray is returning?"

The woman simply stared at Rose as expressionless as ever. "You brought an army for the Doctor."

"He had friends who care about him. They were willing to help." Rose defended.

"Only you can help him now. The Doctor's life can still be saved but only if another is lost."

Rose's mouth went dry in an instant. She could only manage a whisper. "Hollie?" No, not that, Rose could only think. Anything but that. The Doctor and Hollie were her entire existence. If she lost either again she may just curl up and cease to exist. The woman shock her head.

"The child will live regardless, but her future is uncertain depending on the coming events."

The woman outstretched her hand to Rose for her to take. Rose simply looked at her as if unsure of what to do. Slowly she raised her hand and took the woman's. Immediately Rose saw a vision flash before her eyes. Two people running, hand in hand, occasionally looking back behind them. A man and a woman. The man was the Doctor, looking older yet still with that youthful energy to run, suit and trainers unchanged. The woman made Rose glow. She was about twenty years old, with long brown hair in gentle loose curls and the Doctor's eyes. She would know her daughter anywhere.

Hollie and the Doctor looked determined to escape whatever they were running from yet in some bizarre way, like they were loving the thrill that came with it. Rose could remember what that felt like.

Letting go of the woman in white's hand, Rose stepped back. Trying to gather her thoughts, she straightened up.

"So… that's the future? That's what will become of them both?" Rose inquired, hope beginning to rise within her.

"That's just one possibility. Take my hand again."

Rose returned her hand into the woman in white's and another image flashed before her. This one was nowhere near as uplifting as the first. She saw her daughter again, same age, yet the contrast between the first and this one were staggering. She was dressed in red robes and was curled up in a dark room, crying bitterly. She looked so small with her legs up to her chin, like she was protecting herself from the world. Rose wanted to burst into the image and throw her arms around her, protect her herself but before she could so much as call out to her, the image vanished and she was back in the computer room with the woman. Taking a step back and clutching her head, Rose tried to push out the image that was imprinted on her brain.

"Two possible futures are lined up for the girl depending on the decision made." The woman informed Rose

"_What _decision? You keep saying the same thing over and over again yet you won't tell me what I've got to do to protect them… who exactly are you?" Rose demanded

"I was like you. A mother. Only a mother's love can protect the girl from Gallifray's agenda."

"Gall-… you're telling me that the _Time Lords _will do that to her?" Rose wouldn't believe it.

"Hollie has the potential to be legendary, more so even than the Doctor, but that prophecy can only come true if it is the Doctor whom she is raised and educated by."

Rose turned her back on the woman she was so confused. What decision? What had to be decided? And why did it have to be her? She spun around to ask the woman all these questions, but just like when she appeared in Donna's kitchen she had already vanished without a trace. Rose could feel her head spin. What the hell was going on?

* * *

Hollie's eyes slowly fluttered open. Her head felt sore and she was lying on a hard surface. Slowly raising her hand to her head, she felt something wet and sticky. Blood. She felt woozy and couldn't remember where she was or how she got there. Her eyes slowly focussed on her surroundings and saw she was lying next to a stone pillar and to her right was the controls. She then remembered how she'd flown the TARDIS after Jack had teleported her there and judging by the smoke coming from the machine, she wasn't a natural pilot.

Slowly getting to her feet, she looked around her. The lights were dim. Her eyes fell on the doors. She'd flown the TARDIS without a clue where she was going. Outside those doors, could be the past, future, alien planet; she honestly had no clue. Hollie knew she should just stay in the TARDIS, she'd probably done enough damage as it was. But what exactly could be worse? She was lost, she was injured, she didn't have a clue where either of her parents were or whether they were indeed alive. Right now, being on a pick'n'mix planet was probably the only decent way to end what had been an altogether traumatic day. She slowly walked towards the doors. She was shaking from head to toe and felt numb but she honestly didn't feel any more fear. She was shaking with the fear of what that crazed lunatic was doing to her family and friends but as for her… well she was just a kid. She wasn't important, whatever anybody said. She couldn't even fly her own people's ships without blowing the thing up. She gripped the handle of the door and slowly pulled.

She poked her head around, totally unaware of what it was she was going to see…

She was in an alleyway. A dark alleyway. She looked up at the night sky. It was night-time wherever she was and it was snowing. She could see the moon. It was bright and full. She looked around her. Stepping out of the TARDIS she walked over to a bin and picked up a newspaper. Shaking it she looked at the title and the date. Daily Telegraph. She wasn't an expert but she was pretty sure an alien planet wouldn't have the same newspaper title as one on Earth. So she was on Earth; that was a good start. And the year… December 2005. Two years before she was born. OK, well that wasn't too far back. She could handle eleven years into the past.

Looking down the alley she could see lights and people. Edging down the alley quietly, she looked at the buildings that she could see. It looked like a council estate. Not a bad one either, pretty run of the mill. Coming just a few feet away from the entrance but so she was still stood in the shadows, she saw people laughing and enjoying the snow. There were a lot of people singing Slade and Wizard songs. It must be Christmas. Suddenly she saw it. The TARDIS. It was standing in the middle of the estate grounds. She spun round. The TARDIS she had just exited was still tucked away in the alley. So what was that one? Was there more Time Lords driving these things everywhere? No, the Doctor had said that they were the only two left.

Hollie crept up against the wall to get a better look while still keeping herself hidden. Her breath caught in her throat. She could see her Nan. Jackie Tyler was standing by the other TARDIS. Next to her was Mickey Smith. And there they both were. Her mum and dad. Her mum's hair was long, a stronger tone of blonde and she looked very young. She must have been about nineteen round about now. The Doctor was stood next to her. Same long coat, same suit and trainers. His hair was a bit bigger but other than that he was totally unchanged. The four of them were all staring up at the sky. The Doctor looked at Rose and offered her his hand. She looked a little reluctant to take it like she was unsure it was safe or real. He simply grinned and wiggled his fingers as if to reassure her it was harmless. Nervously she took his hand and entwined their fingers. They then stared back up at the stars and the Doctor pointed upwards as if to show her something. Maybe where he was taking her next. They smiled at each other and then looked back up at the night sky as if excited at what it held for them.

Hollie could only watch in the darkness as this unfolded in front of her. She wanted to go up to them and say hello. Maybe warn them. But then she remembered. Some things were fixed in time and couldn't be meddled with. She couldn't speak to them. She couldn't even let them see her. She had to watch from the shadows as she oversaw her future parents make their plans for adventure. They looked so carefree. Let them have that happiness for now at least. They had years of loneliness coming. The least Hollie could allow them was a little moment of peace from the chase. Slowly turning away, she whispered in to the light breeze.

"I'll be a good daughter. I promise." And with that promise she disappeared back down the alley.

* * *

The Doctor looked away from the night sky and looked around him. He was sure he just heard a voice. Yet when he looked in the direction of where it had come from, he could only see passing neighbours laughing and singing. He didn't know why but he clutched Rose's hand tighter and gently smiled.

* * *

Hollie entered the TARDIS and shut the door behind her. She looked at the engine. It had stopped smoking. That was a start. She touched the engine gently as if she was stroking it back to health. She looked up at the engine.

"Help me. Show me how to get to them," and as naturally as if it was the Doctor she suddenly had the urge to pull the leaver and press two buttons in front of her. The TARDIS was showing her how it was done; she was taking her to them.

* * *

Rose eventually found the Doctor on the roof looking out at the sights. Slowly approaching he felt her presence and turned to look at her. She silently stood beside him and looked out with him at the night sky, lit up by the city lights.

"Pretty city." Rose commented.

"I've always like Cardiff." The Doctor agreed. They stood together in silence before Rose took his hand and squeezed it

"This isn't your fault." she reassured

"Isn't it?" The Doctor asked bitterly

"No! We're all in this together…"

"She's a _child" _

"A _Time Lord _child. This is her world."

"And what sort of world is that? Condemning a little girl to run for the rest of her life because that's what Daddy does?" The Doctor argued turning his back to Rose and walking over to his right to look out at that view and also to hide the fact that he was dangerously close to tears. "Gallifray is coming back."

"Why does that terrify you so much? It's your own planet."

"The planet is lost in the time lock and that's where it's got to stay! If not then basically the entire universe will be wrenched apart for the sake of one planet's existence."

"And what about you and Hollie? You're their own people." Rose reasoned

"I'm a traitor. I had to stop them the first time. They'll execute me as soon as look at me."

Rose felt sick, "And Hollie?" "She's young. They'll keep her to mould into their own little image. They'll become like their pet."

"Oh God." Rose breathed

"As soon as that rocket is ready, I'm going back on my own and I'm getting her back to you. Then I've got to go back and send them back where they belong." He turned to look at Rose and cupped her face gently in his hands. "You two have to stay here."

"No way. I'm not leaving you."

"I thought I could fight this thing but I can't. It's going to happen. I've got to die and if that's going to happen… then the least I can do is give you and Hollie a chance."

"I'm not leaving you!" Rose couldn't control the tears that were tumbling down her face anymore.

"I could die a thousand deaths and I wouldn't care as long as you and our daughter are safe. I'd die for you two…" he slowly let his hands drop from Rose's face, "and that's exactly what I'm going to do. I've lost my children before; you and their sister is not about to join them."

Rose wanted to scream, stamp her foot and cling onto him but the words died in her mouth. She couldn't argue with him and yet she couldn't leave him. That prophecy was still in her head but she'd received her own and that was playing to. She felt totally and utterly lost.

A strong wind went past them both. They dismissed it as the cold night air but then they heard it, that sound of a whirring engine getting louder and louder. Rose and the Doctor could only stare. It was impossible… completely impossible.

And yet there it was. The TARDIS materialising in front of them. As soon as it was fully there the door opened and Hollie stepped out. Her forehead was bleeding but she was alive. And she was standing in front of them.

"How?" The Doctor could only ask

"Well I am a Time Lord after all." Hollie shrugged.

"Oh you're more than that," the Doctor replied before breaking into the biggest grin he could manage. "you are BRILLIANT." He swept her up and hugged her as tightly as he could. Rose joined in now crying tears of utter joy. They had her back. Now they could begin…

* * *

The Master placed the diamond on the machine and sent the signal across the universe. He had hoped to have the Doctor and the kid to be present as sort of welcome home gifts to Gallifray but if they were going to run, then his good self would have to do.

The signal went out across the entire galaxy. _One, Two, Three, Four. One, Two, Three, Four. _Out and out into the galaxy. The light of the gate was growing brighter that it almost blinded the Master. And yet he could see them. See them approaching. Closer. And closer. And closer. And then…

There they stood: the council. In their red robes and golden head pieces, the weeping angels and Rassilon himself.

The Time Lords were back .


	18. Chapter 18

Rasillon stepped forward out of the light and away from his council. His presence had an air of menacing authority. His hair greying yet his eyes were black and sparkling, wild and alive with plans. The weeping angels stood motionless with their faces hidden in their hands while his fellow councillors stood behind him in waiting for whatever orders he may give or maybe simply to accompany him.

The Master stepped forward taking his time to savour the image before him. His own kind, risen out of the ashes of the time war.

He had spent so long running from them and yet now as they stood before him in all their infinite glory, he felt a sense of wonder. Finally he had a reason for his entire life. He'd been selected to restore them. His destiny was their salvation.

"My Lord Master," Rasillon addressed causing the Master to freeze on the spot. Simply the sound of his voice made him feel incapable of speech. Luckily it didn't last for too long a time.

"President," The Master acknowledged.

"Our signal was received and the link was made. You have done well."

"Simply fulfilling a prophecy." The Master felt a surge of pride. Finally he had succeeded at his purpose. At last, he was gaining praise for actions he committed in the name of Gallifray.

"And now we will gather." Rasillon smirked

"Gather? The rest of the Time Lords will come through the gate?"

"Oh no, we will gather … for the end and also the new beginning."

At that second, the entire ground shook with a volatile force and the light that had been shining through the window of the mansion died away into darkness. The Master could see from his position away from the window something descending in the sky, casting an enormous shadow over the fields surrounding the mansion.

"What the hell is that?" The Master asked in confusion

"That… is home."

"You mean?" The Master breathed looking at Rasillon for confirmation which he gave with a single nod of the head.

"Gallifray is returning."

"But the Time War?"

"Still occurring but we will descend into eternal life, waiting for when it passes and then rising to create a brand new generation. Starting with the secret child of the traitor."

"Take me with you then." The Master announced spreading out his arms for the President to do with him whatever was planned. "Let me ascend with you."

The President looked at him expressionless before laughing. A mocking laugh.

"You have done all that is needed of you. You are disposable now."

The Master felt a punch to the chest and then it had dawned on him. The reason why he had chosen to ran so far and for so long still existed. They had not changed; the ways of Gallifray had not changed and now they were vulnerable, at the edge of death and the planet was one day away from falling which made them more ruthless and dangerous than ever. In his last thoughts before he was knocked unconscious by the force of Rasillon's armoured glove, he actually felt sorry for the Doctor and, more so, for his kid.

* * *

The Doctor looked up at the sky above him as the true scale of the Master's actions became evident. There it was, descending over Earth in all its fiery glory. Gallifray. His home. His past. His people. Now he had to destroy it again single handily.

Rose and Hollie's hands were entwined tightly as the planet ascended over their heads into the skies above. This had not gone unnoticed by the passing people down below. The sounds of their screams ripped through the air as the terror gripped them and the Doctor could see from up above the people running in all directions in utter panic. Not that he could blame them - right now all he wanted to do was run and hide.

Hollie looked up above at this planet. This was the other half of her. The Doctor's home and his place of childhood and yet looking at it now Hollie felt cold. It looked so frightening and hell-like. The Doctor was warm, loving and protective - this place up above was anything but.

The Doctor tore his eyes away from the carnage down below and turned on the balls of his heels and ran into the TARDIS. Hollie and Rose were close behind him and followed him to the controls.

"I take it that preventing the Master from causing any trouble is a slightly useless plan now then?" Rose asked

"They're here." The Doctor answered, "They're back and they need to be sent back before they cause anymore damage."

"So what's the plan?" Rose asked

"First plan: you and Hollie are going to get out of the TARDIS." The Doctor replied sternly.

"And like I said before, no chance sonny." Rose replied calmly.

"Rose! Listen to me!" The Doctor grabbed Rose by the shoulders and made her face him. "This is something I _have _to do. This is it! This is how it ends and I thought I could fight it but I can't! Now this is my fault that you and Hollie are here in the first place but I can at least give you a running start."

Rose stared right back at him and her lip curled upward on one side and she shook her head in seeming disbelief.

"Then you really don't know me very well at all then do you? If this is your last act then I'm going to be by your side."

Before the Doctor could get his response ready, the TARDIS jolted violently sending the Doctor, Rose and Hollie to fall over to the floor. The machine whirled into life and the Doctor grabbed the screen of the controls to search for an explanation. He soon found it.

"What's happening now?" Hollie asked clinging to her mother.

"They've found us. They've locked onto the TARDIS and they're pulling us back. I can't stop it." The Doctor let go of the controls and dropped down to the floor with Hollie and Rose and held them close to him.

This was it…

* * *

Donna and Jack ran onto the roof just in time to see the TARDIS disappear. As soon as Donna had heard that noise she had sprinted at breakneck speed up onto the roof. The TARDIS back meant Hollie was back, which was brilliant, but where was the Doctor, Rose and Hollie going now?

Both Jack and Donna knew that answer and prayed that the Doctor knew what he was doing.

* * *

The TARDIS suddenly came to a halt. The Doctor looked round. It had stopped. They had arrived. Slowly getting to their feet, all eyes were on the door to the TARDIS. The Doctor slowly stepped forward.

"We can stay here." Rose reasoned, "the TARDIS is protected."

"The Time Lords invented the shields. They can just as easily take them down again."

Hollie could feel herself sweating.

"You mean we have to go out there?" She asked

"Yeah, pretty much." The Doctor whispered. He looked at Rose and his child and could only whisper, "I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologise." Hollie answered.

Hollie and the Doctor looked right at each other, as if into the windows of one another's souls. Hollie wasn't going to deny it: she didn't want to go outside, she didn't want to face the President of the planet currently hovering over her world and she didn't want to have to watch as her father died sending them back, and yet as she held the gaze of this remarkable man she felt braver. She felt like she was capable of a fight that she might even win. A fight in her parents' battle. She was the daughter of the last Time Lord in rightful existence and the human that destroyed the emperor of the Daleks, ran Torchwood pretty much single handed and showed a man who had known nothing but grief, hurt and loneliness what it was like to be held, to cared for and to be loved. She may have only been young but she knew that it was worth something to have come from two such extraordinary people.

The Doctor took in his little daughter. Her big brown eyes wide with fear but masked with determination. She was only small, her head the same height as his lower torso, brown mousy hair hanging loosely over her shoulders, dressed in a purple sweatshirt, jeans and trainers. She looked to the ordinary passer-by to be a normal, pretty nine year old. Yet to the Doctor, who had seen the stars born and then die, who had seen people from different centuries come and go and enemies wither away at the strength of his fight, she was the most amazing and wonderful thing he had ever seen.

The Doctor turned towards the door and breathed deeply. He was going to see his people again. No matter how scared he was… that was pretty thrilling.

Pressing his palm against the door, he wrapped his fingers around the handle and pulled back.

Rasillon was stood in front of the gate with his council. He was expressionless as the Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS. He could remember the day the TARDIS and the Doctor had gone missing. The TARDIS hadn't changed but the man stepping out of the box had. The last time Rasillon had seen him he had a perm and was wearing a suit with every colour imaginable on. Now he had well styled brown hair, with a brown pinstripe suit and trainers. He was tall, thin and handsome.

Then he caught sight of the child behind him. Small, thin with mousy brown hair like her father and big brown eyes. The child of Gallifray and Earth. She was standing close behind the Doctor and her eyes were fixed on him.

Hollie took in the image of Rasillon in all his finery. His council were utterly motionless behind him as though they were statues.

Rose was stood in the doorway of the TARDIS but before she could step out with the other two, the door slammed shut. She tried the handle but it was locked solid.

"Doctor!"

The Doctor tried to push the door from outside but to no avail.

"Doctor, you let me out of here!" Rose demanded.

"I didn't do anything!" The Doctor urged still trying to open the door. He turned to Rasillon with fire in his eyes. "What are you doing! Let her out!"

"The female is a human, one of no importance to us. This is between the people in this room. She is disposable." Rasillon replied

The Doctor wanted to go for Rasillon's throat for referring to Rose as that but at the same time she was safe inside the TARDIS. It was bad enough that Hollie was out here with him. At least Rose was safe for the time being.

Rose continued to shake the door violently until she finally let go and dropped to her knees. How could she protect either of them in here?

Hollie and the Doctor both stood before the council feeling Rasillon's eyes burning into them. Rasillon stepped forward.

"My Lord Doctor." He addressed the Doctor whom winced at being addressed as though his company was a pleasure. Rasillon looked at Hollie. "My Lady Hollie." Hollie also felt sick at being addressed with such relish. "Here we are united at last."

"You call this united?" The Doctor spat. "Crashing through a gateway and dragging the whole of hell with you?"

"It is all in the name of survival and progress." Rasillon stated

"Progress? Gallifray is a baron planet. It burnt." The Doctor found it difficult to get those words out and Rasillon's eyes narrowed in anger at having his world addressed in such negative and above all past terms, "There is nothing left to progress. It's fixed in history. Gallifray falls and you all die!"

"Until now, Doctor." Rasillon replied with relish. "For now we have escaped and will create a brand new existence. We passed through after receiving help-"

"Oh yeah! I forgot about your little helper!" The Doctor snapped, "where is he then? Have you promoted him?"

Rasillon said nothing and simply stepped to the side revealing what was behind him. Hollie couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing. Behind the robes of Rasillon was the Master on his knees. He looked beaten and bruised and his hands were bound by rope that glowed as though it was radioactive. The Doctor himself looked staggered at what his old nemesis had become. The Master refused to look at the Doctor instead his eyes were on Hollie. However this time Hollie didn't feel fear or terror. This was much worse; she felt pity and anger, not towards the Master but _for _the Master.

"What have you done to him?" She asked in despair.

"He is contaminated, insane and dangerous. He is of no other purpose now." Rasillon dismissed. Hollie suddenly felt the anger grow more violently.

"But he helped you! He brought you back!" She argued stepping forward despite the Doctor trying to stop her with his hand on her shoulder, "How can you treat him like that?!"

"You've inherited your father's spirit" Rasillon observed.

The Doctor and Rasillon argued for some time as Hollie and the Master continued to look at each other. Somehow they saw one another in each other. In Hollie, the Master could see himself as a child. He could remember running with the Doctor as a child. They used to play in the red grass fields near the halls of the council. Most children their age played there. It was a free open area where they could just be young and innocent for a short time. The Master could remember the Doctor at that young age. He looked similar to how he looked now. Brown out of control hair, big brown eyes and a lively spirit. They used to have races up and down the fields. They used to tease the girls and play tag like young boys did. The Doctor's eyes were now in Hollie's head and for a little moment, the Master felt young again.

Hollie looked into the Master and somehow she could see that childhood. It was like her and Tony playing out in her Nan's backyard all over again. He had been her once upon a time. Hollie tried to imagine what it would be like to have to face Tony in battle one day when they were both adults. Hollie felt her eyes well up. She couldn't; it would break her in half. And now the Master was what they were going to try and mould her into. Suddenly she couldn't contain it anymore.

"Your sick!" She screamed at Rasillon stopping the Doctor and Rasillon's verbal duel in its tracks. "You think you're going to turn me into a puppet? You'll have to KILL me first!"

The Doctor grabbed Hollie and tried to shush her by whispering comforts in her ear. Rasillon simply smirked and began to lift his glove. The Master saw this movement.

"What are you doing?" The Master demanded.

"Children need to be disciplined."

The Master snapped to see both Hollie and the Doctor distracted as Hollie thought to regain composure and the Doctor tried to comfort her. They wouldn't stand a chance. The Master didn't want Hollie to suffer that. She had a chance to be what he could have been were it not for Gallifray. Struggling to his feet, the Master staggered upwards to shield them both from the firing shot. Rasillon had already gone to fire and the Master yelled out in pain. The Doctor and Hollie turned back just in time to see the Master fall lifeless to the floor beneath the feet of Rasillon.


	19. Chapter 19

"You … you've killed him." The Doctor knew that was stating the obvious and yet he needed to say the words out loud to believe them himself. He was gone. The man who had been the bane of his existence for so long was dead. Hollie kept looking at him slumped on the floor and both her and the Doctor knew that despite all the terrible things he had done in his life, his last act had been to protect a child.

Rasillon and the Doctor's eyes met and the unspoken hatred screamed from their glare.

"Right then," the Doctor spoke in a voice that made the President know he had made the Doctor vengefully angry, "what's my fate to be?"

Rose had seen everything on the screen of the controls. She had seen the gaze shared by the Master and her little girl. She seen how he had saved them both and although she would never have believed it twenty-four hours ago, the tears she was now crying were for him.

Clinging to the controls with all her strength to keep her from crawling into a ball, she watched as the Doctor and Rasillon continued their exchange. Sniffing back her tears she forced herself to continue watching…

"You are proof." Rasillon announced.

"Proof of what?" the Doctor questioned.

"Proof that love and attachment is the biggest destruction that a man can face."

The Doctor didn't trust himself to answer, giving Rasillon leave to continue.

"You pride yourself on knowing Earth people, knowing their weaknesses, their desires and their hopes having spent so long with them in your long life and yet you still choose such a weak breed of species to fall in love with and produce a child. No wise man could do that and still think himself noble."

"Wise?" The Doctor smirked, "I stopped thinking that of myself long ago. Noble? Not really, I just like to help people. But to call the human race weak? Now those … are the words of a man over his head.

"Let me tell you something about Earth. It is a planet full of people who don't claim to be anything significant. They are just what they are: people. Just ordinary, simple, bemused people, living life anyway they can. And despite that … despite not having any powers, any higher authority over the galaxy or even to each other, they have survived... the one thing that not even you could manage without killing the entire existence of the universe. They made it through to the very end and even then they made it back to where they belonged. They are the most incredible race in existence every single one of them and knowing my child came from it makes me want to climb the rooftops and sing my heart out."

Rasillon simply held his gaze for a long time and Hollie had to remind herself how to breathe. She had always known how much the Doctor loved Earth as he never made any secret of it but to hear him talk about them like that made her want to give him his own individual round of applause.

"One of the most precious things in your life will be lost should you try to stop us … why would you fight against a war you can't win." Rasillon stated smugly.

The Doctor tried to regulate his breathing. He didn't know what to do and how to fight this battle. Suddenly a movement from one of the council caught his eye and the face of the councillor made both his hearts pound.

The weeping angel let her hands drop away from her face and allowed her eyes to take in his image once again after so many long loveless years. There he was. Her son.

She remembered him as a child. She would stand hidden by the buildings of Gallifrey's court and watched as her little boy had run around with his little friend who now lay before her dead. He had been such an energetic and clever child. He had been envisioned for great things in the courts of Gallifrey. Something that Rasillon had not counted on was how headstrong the Doctor would be. She had also shared his views on the Time Lords needing to at times interfere with events of history for the sake of mankind but where she had been far too wary to ever challenge the council about it, he had stood up and decided something had to be done. He had stolen a ship and jetted off into the stars in search of a new way of life and a way of bettering the course of history.

His reckless and brilliant ways had caused him to leave behind his family and people after Rasillon had banished him to Earth for his actions for he was now considered a traitor and not worthy of being part of the ancient court for he clearly had no respect for the age old ways. She had watched from the shadows as her child defended himself ably and well before the weeping angels and Rasillon himself and as he had finally been led away, she caught his eye and they had exchanged a smile of mutual love. She had never expected to see him again.

And yet here he stood, willing to sacrifice his life for the stability of the planet and beside him her granddaughter. All her grandchildren had previously been lost in the Time War but Hollie bore her father's appearance and bravery.

The Doctor took her in. She was still in the council even now as a symbol of someone unafraid to stand up to them albeit rather pointless. Her eyes were filled with tears and her face painted with the agony of what she was being forced to witness before her. She suddenly broke eye contact with the Doctor and turned her head to look past Rasillon to her right and take in the image of the other weeping angel. Slowly her hands dropped away from her face to reveal herself.

* * *

Rose gasped out loud. It was her. The older version of her daughter which she had seen in the visions which the elderly weeping angel had shown her previously. There she was stood besides Rasillon with the tears in her eyes. Her hair was long and in loose curls, figure slim and tall and she was as beautiful as her father was to Rose.

From the screen she could see the light in her daughter's eyes starting to fade away into nothingness as she stood in her council robes beside her grandmother. The two women then looked up and Rose felt as though they were staring right at her through the screen. Their eyes burned into her and they both nodded their head as though they were handing over the duty to Rose.

Rose let go of the screen and stepped back. Looking round the TARDIS she suddenly understood all too well. _A life would be lost. _The women in white hadn't said specifically which life it would be. That was up for negotiation. She was still what she was back on the Dalek Crucible all those years ago: Bad Wolf. The decision was who she decided would die today. The Doctor, Hollie …… or her.

She _could _be saved should the Doctor suck out the energy - but then that would mean regeneration and that to him would mean a death. She would have to make sure that he would not be able to remove the vortex from her mind.

She knew it was time. She had so many years running and now it was time for the final race. Stepping toward the controls, she lifted the grid up from over the heart of the TARDIS and breathing deeply, looked deep inside…

* * *

The Doctor head was spinning. He was staring at the image of his mother whom he hadn't seen for centuries and the future image of his nine year old daughter standing before him, either side of Rasillon whom seemed somewhat oblivious of how vital these two women either side of him were. Hollie stared in amazement at the image of herself in future years. This image of her was beautiful but looked drained, wary and trapped in the robes of red velvet and gold collars. Hollie didn't understand what was happening and judging by the colour that had drained from the Doctor's face, she was in no hurry to find out.

The room was seriously beginning to jolt as Gallifrey loomed ever closer to Earth and all light outside had now vanished as if experiencing an eclipse. Rasillon addressed the Doctor once more.

"The final chance to save your life is now - join us or be discarded."

The Doctor tried to regulate his breathing. He never wanted to join the council in this movement yet he didn't want to die. However right now protecting his daughter was even more important than his life. He wouldn't be able to protect her if he was dead but at least he could hope that Hollie would follow his example and fight against it all the way.

"Discarded, it is then." The Doctor announced.

Rasillon began to raise his glove and Hollie clung onto the Doctor, wrapping his arms around his waist and squeezing her eyes shut. If her dad was going to die standing up for what he believed in, then so would she. The silver glove started to glow blue as if it was warming up to fire and the Doctor looked over to his mother that final time. Her previously full eyes of tears had cascaded down her face.

Rays of gold light suddenly exploded out of the TARDIS, blowing the doors open and causing the Doctor, Hollie and Rasillon to snap their attention to it immediately. The blaze of gold light was so blindingly bright that the Doctor could barely see anything at all. Shielding his eyes with his arm (the other still tightly wrapped around his daughter) he squinted his eyes to see what had caused his spaceship to explode in what could only be describe as a magnificent rage. He could only make out a figure in the doorway of the TARDIS. A figure in a human form. A womanly form…

Realisation hit him with the force of meteor. Rose was in the TARDIS. The TARDIS held the heart of the TARDIS and in that held the power of a controlled supernova. A supernova that was seeping our of Rose's eyes…

"Rose…" The Doctor could only say in a strangled gasp

"Mum…?" Hollie whimpered. She was sure that it was her mother standing in the ray of light yet she looked unearthly and almost possessed.

The energy seeped out of Rose and swirled around the room like a sort of visable gas. Rasillon looked at this mythical looking woman with irritation and a sort of awe-like confusion.

"What are you?" He questioned

"I am the Bad Wolf," Rose replied, her voice with a slight sort of echo to it. "I can see all of time and creation, all of life and death. All that was. All that could be. All that never can be."

"I suspect that Time Lord technology has helped elevate you to this status." Rasillon sneered

"I am the mother of a Time Lord child. I carried her DNA in my body for nine months. I experienced the joys of your kind and now I am witnesses its flaws in your living form."

"What gives you the right to criticize our ways?" Rasillon spat in furious irritation

"I can see what you have done. I can see what you are willing to do and more so I can see what you have planned for this man and our child. What gives me the right _not _to criticize?"

"You will cease talking." Rasillon warned raising his glove, ready to shut Rose up forcibly if needs be.

"And you will cease these actions." Rose warned raising her hand in a mirroring movement to Rasillon.

"You aren't as wise as you think." Rasillon barked and with that his glove exploded with blue light. As quickly as him however, Rose fired out a golden blast of power from her palm. The two sources of energy met in the crossfire and slammed into each other, seemingly in balance with their combined strength. The force of the beams meeting knocked the Doctor and Hollie back onto the floor. Watching in both terror and astonishment as his enemy and his love fought to the death, the Doctor looked once more at his daughter and held her close. The strength of Rose was clear to see on the face of Rasillon who had a pained expression on his face as he struggled to keep his power level with Rose's.

"YOU WILL NOT DEFEAT ME!" Rasillon cried, "I will not die!"

"And neither will the Doctor," Rose cried in a pained voice, "I will not allow it."

"You will obey us! You will stop this!" Rasillon yelled.

"You will go back. Back into hell." Hollie suddenly announced standing up. The Doctor looked at his daughter just in time to see her explode with a golden light just like Rose. Turning towards the machine holding the diamond, she rose her hand and shot out a beam of golden at the star. It shattered immediately. A screaming spun around the room.

"Gallifrey falling!!! GALLIFREY FALLS!"

"You will be forever known as the potential destroyer of worlds." Hollie announced before shooting out another gold beam with her mother at Rasillon. The combined energy was too much and he could keep up the armoured glove any longer and the Doctor could only watch as the council fell back into the time lock. The light slowly died away and the wind ceased blowing so strong. The Doctor turned to look at Hollie and Rose. Slowly the golden light in Hollie's eyes faded and her eyes shut. She dropped to her knees and her body fell to the floor. The Doctor ran to her and took her in his arms. She was breathing just unconscious.

The Doctor should have realised. If Hollie could inherit the Time Lord gene so could the Bad Wolf gene if only activate in the presence of extreme danger. Hollie had a part of it that could be controlled.

Rose on the other hand….

The Doctor looked up at Rose with her eyes filled with tears

"Do you know what you've done?"

"I do. I saved you." Rose replied still in the trance of power

"But do you know what now comes next?"


	20. Chapter 20

The Doctor gently lay Hollie on the ground and rose to his feet standing directly opposite Rose with only about two feet of a gap between them. The Doctor took her in. If possible she looked more beautiful than he had previously ever seen her and yet with this new beauty, she was still the Bad Wolf and she was going to burn up. So even though she was all powerful and glowing right in front of him, she was moments away from slipping away from him forever.

"Rose," the Doctor whispered, "I can't let you stay like that… you know what happens."

"I know," she whispered in response, "but you couldn't seriously expect me to just let him destroy you both."

"This is going to destroy _you_. You're dying in front of me as we speak."

"I know I can feel it … and it hurts." Tears started dripping down from her golden eyes and down her face. "But its worth it."

"No! This isn't how it's meant to be! It's my turn Rose! It's my time!"

"No! It's barely begun. Don't you see? You're song is ending but not the song of life. The song of being alone. Hollie is yours now. To stand beside you. To give you completeness."

"She needs her mother and I need you!" The Doctor could keep the tears back any longer and his voice broke. "I love you!"

"I know," Rose sobbed, "but how far will that take us?"

"Rose?"

"Do you remember something you said to me a long time ago? About how you have to keep carrying on? You said that I can spend the rest of my life with you but you can't spend the rest of yours with me. Because Rasillon is right. I'm a human and we decay, wither and die. If this doesn't take me then old age and time will. One day you and Hollie _will _have to watch me die and none of us will have any control."

The Doctor could only stare at her in desperation.

"With you," Rose continued, "Hollie can be incredible. The best. You can teach her how. Only you can teach her how."

"There are other ways. History can be re-written."

"You know there can't be any other way."

"I can remove the power. I can save you."

"Don't you dare. I'll strike you with the power of the TARDIS if I have to."

"I can regenerate like last time. Then we can be together."

"But it wouldn't be you. I can't love another Doctor again. Hollie needs her father. She's too young to see this part of you yet. It's not time."

"BUT I CAN'T LET THIS HAPPEN!" The Doctor exploded, "I can't watch someone else I love die not again. I want a family and that includes you! That's all I want and I'm not allowed to have it. IT'S NOT FAIR!"

The Doctor and Rose held their tear-filled gaze for a moment before the Doctor spoke.

"We could have been together… forever."

"I know," Rose choked.

"The three of us, travelling. Donna acting as the dampener on us."

The tears ran down Rose's face and she took in her daughter.

"Make her the best she can possibly be."

"I will."

The Doctor stepped forward. Cupping Rose's face, he took in her loving expression one last time. Rose let herself drown in those big brown eyes one final time. Her head was burning and it stung and she knew she was going to burn out any minute and yet she knew even though her heart was breaking that she would do it all again. The Doctor smiled his crooked smile even though his lip was dangerous wobbling.

"You gave me so much. Now I'm giving you something back." The Doctor whispered

"What?"

"A second chance."

The Doctor put his finger tips to her temple and focused. Slowly the essence of the TARDIS started to escape her body and floated back into the blue box to the controls. The golden hew of her eyes started to fade and Rose started to sink to the ground loosing consciousness. Finally the last of the energy left her body and she sank into the Doctor's arms. The Doctor went down to the floor with her and kissed her head. Looking at the unconscious forms of his love and their daughter, he lay down with them and shut his eyes.

* * *

The rocket crashed into the land of the Naismith mansion. The door was opened and Donna, Jack, Sarah Jane, Wilf and Martha jumped out. Running towards the mansion, Donna prayed she'd find the Doctor alive. They'd watch as the planet that had loomed over the sky had faded away into nothingness and were united in delirious relief which later turned into gut wrenching worry when they had to consider how the Doctor restored normality.

Their feet pounding the floor as they ran frantically to the main room, Donna was the first to crash into the room.

The Doctor was sat on the floor amongst the broken glass, covered in various cuts and bruises. On one side of him lay Hollie and on the other side lay Rose. Donna stepped into the doorway and the Doctor looked up at her.

"Doctor?"

Jack, Wilf, Sarah Jane and Martha followed and took in the destruction around them. Donna looked at Rose and Hollie and felt fear run through her.

"They're alive." The Doctor reassured.

Donna put his hand to the Doctor's cut forehead and he winced a little at the touch. Jack bent over Hollie and picked her up.

"Lets get them out of here." He urged before carrying Hollie into the TARDIS. The Doctor was helped to his feet by Martha and Sarah Jane and helped into the TARDIS. He kept looking behind him at where Rose lay and only looked away when Jack returned to carry her into the TARDIS. With some effort the Doctor worked the controls of the TARDIS, his hands shaking.

* * *

Sylvia paced the kitchen waiting for a sign that her father and daughter were ok. She had watched alone in the house as the planet had descended over her street. For the first time ever she had prayed for the Doctor to interfere and as if by magic the planet began to move away. At that moment she decided the Doctor could be as rude as liked to her.

Her ears suddenly pricked at the sound of the metallic whirring of an engine. Sprinting out of the kitchen to the front door, she stood in the doorway to witness the blue old fashioned telephone box appear in front of her. Wilf and Donna were the first to step out and for the first time in a long time, Donna ran to hug her mother who responded with relish. The Doctor appeared with Hollie in his arms and Jack with Rose in his. Sylvia quickly ushered the two men and their fellow companions into the house. Rose and Hollie were lain down on Donna's bed and the Doctor took in their figures for a long time before finally returning downstairs. He suspected that his friends would want to know what happened.

All his friends were sat in the living room clutching mugs of tea which Sylvia had prepared. The Doctor silently entered the room and sat himself down in the armchair. They all remained silent as he gathered his thoughts, all waiting for him to be ready to tell them.

Slowly he started to explain what happened in the fight with Rasillon, how Rose had brought back the Bad Wolf and how the energy was killing her.

"She wouldn't let me take the energy out of her. She wanted me to stay as I am."

"So how is she still alive?" Martha asked.

"Before the energy could entirely reach of her brain, I wiped away all traces of it and sent it back into the TARDIS. But in order to do that I had to wipe away her memories too."

"What memories?" Donna asked

"Everything. Her entire life. Her character is still the same but she wont remember anything. She won't remember Hollie, me, you, the TARDIS. She won't even remember her childhood or her name. She's got a totally clean slate. When she wakes up, her life will start there."

"Well, that's something. You can teach her to remember. Teach her to be that Rose again." Jack reasoned. The Doctor simply shook his head.

"Her memory and brain are in such a fragile state that it will take her a year at least to remember how to live a normal life. To introduce life in the TARDIS and the fact she had a nine year old child… the shock alone would kill her."

Wilf could only put his hand over his mouth and Donna swallowed back a lump. "She'll never remember?"

"No," The Doctor whispered.

"What about Hollie?" Sarah Jane asked

"She'll recover. She'll need a day to sleep to rejuvenate."

"And Rose?" Sylvia asked

"I'll take her somewhere safe. She can start over in peace." The Doctor answered and with that, the Doctor went to prepare for Rose's final retirement.

* * *

The matron did her rounds of the ward as she patrolled her patients rooms. The brown haired woman in her late forties was used to late night shifts like this. All came as part of the job. Most of her patients had long since fallen asleep so it was quiet work that she did.

She stopped outside one of the side rooms and stared in to the white room. There was only one person who seemed to come alive a little at night. They'd found the young woman in the ward in the middle of the night, unconscious. No one had any idea of how she got there. She was a young woman, early thirties, caramel long blonde hair and a slim figure. She'd been unconscious for a week before finally waking up and when she did she had absolutely no memory of how she got there or who she was. The nurses and the therapists had all sat up with her, long into the night trying to help her jog her memory back to her past. Yet nothing. She had no recollection of her childhood, her family or even her general home. She had a British accent, London if the matron was correct.

She was normally asleep in the day and then would wake at night. She did very little while awake, just lying in bed looking up at the night sky. She looked like she was searching for something but couldn't quite remember what it was.

The matron looked away from the form of the woman lying in the hospital bed to approaching footsteps coming towards her. A handsome, tall, thin man in a brown pinstripe suit and a white coat was approaching. He had brown wayward hair and large brown eyes.

"Can I help you?" The matron asked.

"Dr. John Smith, new Psychological Therapist," the young man introduced showing the matron the proper ID with his little brown wallet. "I've been sent to interview a young British woman with severe memory loss."

"Ah, I think you'll be meaning this woman." The matron pointed into the hospital room. The Doctor looked into the room and saw the young woman lying in her bed. He looked a little pale at the look at her but soon nodded in agreement.

"Any progress?" He asked

"Nothing, still no recollection."

"Right, I'll take it from here."

The Doctor watched as the matron went about her duties before slowly turning the handle and entering the room. The young woman turned away from the window and looked at the guest who was now present. She gave a small smile. The Doctor felt his breath catch.

"Hello," he whispered approaching her slowly and sitting himself down on a chair next to her bedside.

"Hi," Rose smiled, "who are you?"

The Doctor felt his heart split at her question but managed to keep some of his composure and look down at his notes.

"Dr. John Smith. Your new psychotherapist."

Rose nodded and sat upright ready to answer any questions he was bound to ask. She took in his image. He was a handsome man, with a lovely big brown eyes and spiky wayward hair. "So… what do you want to ask me?"

"Not so much ask miss, more inform you." Rose sat up a little more. This was new… "I've done some research around the local area and seem to have tracked down who you are."

Rose's eyes widened some more.

"You … know who I am?"

"Oh yes," the Doctor whispered, "I know exactly who you are." The Doctor's voice dripped with sincerity and his eyes held Rose's before he looked down at his clipboard. "It appears you live in the suburbs of Dunedin, in a fairly large house. You are a very rich woman by the look of things." He handed her the documents of her house and Rose took in the details. Four bedrooms, luxury bathroom, newly refurbished kitchen. She seemed to be doing very well for herself.

"My name's Rose?" she asked

"Yes, Rose Smith."

"Rose Smith. That's the same surname as you." Rose acknowledged. The Doctor slowly nodded. Rose looked down at the forms. "Do I have any family?"

"No… no it appears I can't locate any in the area."

Rose nodded, feeling slightly deflated. Yet the relief was immense. She finally had a name, an identity. "Then why did I forget it all?" she asked.

"That's something I'm unable to tell you."

Rose nodded. She'd probably never know why she forgot and that was something she would have to live with. But at least now with her new wealth she can look to the future. A question soon came to her. "Do you have any family?"

The Doctor looked at her and felt his soul burn.

"Yes, I have a daughter. She's nearly ten."

"Where's her mum?"

"She's…" The Doctor shock his head and looked down at the floor frightened that he was going to start crying, "…so far away."

"I'm sorry." Rose apologised.

"Don't ever apologize." The Doctor suddenly told her. Rose looked a little taken back but taking in his face, she heeded his advice. The Doctor suddenly gathered his notes and began to stand up. "I think we're all done here. They'll keep you in for treatment for another week before you can go home."

"Right. Thank you so much, Doctor."

The Doctor began to turn to leave before Rose suddenly had a question.

"I keep having these visions. The most bizarre dreams. Dreams of the stars."

The Doctor turned and looked back at her. "What sort of dreams."

"Happy ones. Dreams where I'm … flying alongside them. I can see this little girl. She looks like you actually. And… you're there too. As the bringer of all good things. Why am I getting these dreams?"

The Doctor stood frozen for some time looking at Rose. Even with her memories locked at the darkest far corner of her mind, she could still remember him and Hollie. The Doctor looked out of the window at the night sky and then back at her. "Look up at the stars, and maybe one day you will see." And with that the Doctor opened the door and taking in her image one last time, exited out of the door and ran as fast as he could down the corridor and out of the building. Ripping off the white coat and throwing it on the floor, he looked up at the stars and then up at the window where Rose's room was. He could see her. Looking up. Searching. Forever searching.


	21. Epilogue

_A Hundred and Fifty Years Later._

The streets of London were beginning to refill again. The destroyed burning buildings had been put out by firemen and Torchwood had got to work helping the government make the best out of a chaotic situation. It had been one week since the battle of Hell. The Daleks, Cybermen, the Sontarans… they had all risen, united in battle and in the hunt for blood. The destruction of London had been treacherous and millions had been lost. Millions more were injured but alive. Their lives too would have been lost had it not been for _them_.

The elderly Captain. Jack Harkness led his team to battle and only he had been seen since. Yet he would not talk of the whereabouts of the travellers of the TARDIS. It was almost as though talking about it was simply too painful. Many feared they had all perished. Yet Jack knew that the daughter of his former companion was stood in the very city.

* * *

The allotment on a hill a few yards from a cul-de-sac in Chiswick had not been properly occupied for nearly fifty years. The shrubs were overgrown and unkempt. A little shed stood by a little plot of land with an old dusty telescope. It had not been used in years and there was some question over whether it still worked.

A young woman who looked about twenty one stood on the plot of land. Slim, with long, loosely curled brown hair, big brown eyes and freckles dusting her nose. Dressed in Converse trainers, skinny jeans and a navy military coat, her hands were dug deep in her pockets and the wind was blowing her hair. She had several cuts on her body from the battle yet the pain she felt wasn't physical. The internal one took the brunt of that away.

Hollie had lived for so long and ran for such a long time and it had all started right here. This place where she first stepped out of the TARDIS with Donna, the Doctor and her mother to start all over again as the daughter of one of the most powerful and mysterious men to have ever existed. The next day they had fought a battle against her father's planet and, as a result, lost her mother. She had woken up two days later and been told by her father that she wouldn't be able to see her mother again. She's cried her eyes out in the Doctor's arms. She'd learnt to deal with it though. She knew her mum was safe and well. That was better than never being able to see her again. Her and the Doctor would sometimes go to visit her. They would never go up and say hello; just watch. In the garden, in the park, in the supermarket. She never saw them yet sometimes she looked like she knew she was being watched.

Hollie had watched the Doctor carry on as he always done. Donna joined them in the TARDIS and helped pick up the pieces and together they began to train Hollie how to be the best she could possibly be, just as Rose had instructed them. Hollie was taught each individual star, supernova, milky way and black hole. They visited every planet, met every civilisation and ran from a million different dangers. Donna protected her and loved her like her own. They had a strong auntie-niece type relationship and Hollie soon learnt from the best that sometimes arguing with the Doctor was the only way to get him to listen. The Doctor often rolled his eyes and complained about being hen-pecked but he always did with a smile.

She had learnt everything he could possibly teach her and once she was eighteen she needed a title. Only certain people would know her real name. It was by that name which she was known as a legend. The Teacher. She was taught and now she would teach herself. She wanted to show the world how to deal with alien life.

Of all the people whom she had known and fought with on that day of Gallifrey's rising, her and Jack were the only ones left. Wilfred had been the first to go. Donna had visited her family once a month without fail. The Doctor and Hollie would come too. Wilfred insisted on seeing them. He may just be a daft old man and this young looking man was a nine-hundred year old alien but as far as Wilf was concerned, the Doctor was as good as a son to him and Hollie became his second granddaughter.

Hollie was thirteen when Donna finally got round to fulfilling her promise to show him the stars on his eighty-fifth birthday. Donna, the Doctor and Hollie turned up at the allotment and took him off for their own little tour of the universe. They ran into a bit of trouble on the way (didn't they always) but Wilfred thrived on it. He experienced his dream of seeing an astronauts view of the stars and returned home that night on the most glorious high. That night he died in his sleep. Donna was devastated as was the Doctor and Hollie but Sylvia's words actually came as a comfort to them for once when she explained that he went to bed that night the happiest he had ever been. In fact, he went to sleep smiling.

Martha had ran home to her mother upon arriving back from the Naismith mansion. Upon watching Rose loose her memory and Hollie lose her mother she had a longing to see hers. Martha clung to her for a long time and wasn't ashamed to admit she shed many tears. After leaving the next day however she decided it was time for change. The following day she handed in her notice to the UNIT. When asked for a reason, she simply said she needed to remember who she was.

Martha soon got a job as a freelance alien hunter. It reminded her of life on the run with the Doctor and had a lot less guns than UNIT. She fought the Sontarans, the Cybermen and on occasion the Daleks. She continued to save the word time and time again.

She soon married another fellow freelance hunter called Ross. He'd been a young soldier at UNIT when the Sonatarns first attacked. He'd been injured and presumed dead but amazingly managed to make a recovery. He'd left the army at about the same time as Martha. After seeing the wonders of the Doctor it was always hard to go back to normal life. They had two sons Michael and John. They both grew up to stories of the Doctor and the wonders of the universe. On many occasions they got to actually meet him face-to-face.

Martha lived a long life before finally dying at the age of sixty-nine. She looked up at the stars from her bed and thanked the greater good for whoever deemed her worthy to have experienced the Doctor and the universe in her lifetime.

Sarah Jane and Luke both continued to work with Mr Smith and track unusual life forms. Sarah had done it for over twenty years it was second nature to her now. It broke her heart to leave the Doctor yet again but now he had someone who could live as long as him and longer. His own child just like Luke was to her. She saw the way he looked at Hollie, all the love he could finally give to someone who would give it back. She was like him in so many ways. The same bravery, same charm, same intelligence. Hollie didn't just have potential to be incredible because she already was.

Sarah Jane lived a long life of ninety-four before old age finally took her and even then she oversaw the functioning's of Mr. Smith. Luke continued her work until it was his time to join her. Sarah Jane became the legend she deserved long after her death as the first true companion of the Doctor and the longest serving. Her work was continued by her loyal followers for centuries later.

Jack and Gwen worked together at Torchwood for fifty years in the fight against alien forces. Rose's loss brought back the memory of Ianto's passing vividly to Jack and he could truly understand the feeling of gut-wrenching pain that the Doctor was experiencing. Yet in true form the Doctor refused to talk of it and kept it buried inside.

Gwen died as any mortal human would in the end. Jack felt for himself the curse of having to live on as the Doctor did. He continued the fight against alien activity alone, sometimes with some helpers, sometimes alone. Nobody ever had the effect on him as Gwen and Ianto though. He regularly sought out the Doctor, much to the latter mix of annoyance and secret delight. He watched Hollie grow older and more like her famous father and Donna more feisty and able to take the Doctor on.

As time went on he became more aware that he would become older and older without a way out and would probably witness the end of the Earth if not beyond and he had learnt to accept it. Who knows one day he may become a living legend like his former companion…

Donna remained in the TARDIS for five more years after the battle of Gallifrey before achieving something she thought she would never experience: motherhood. After running into Cybermen, she had found a little boy on the verge of being upgraded and had rescued him. On further examination, the Doctor discovered he was a child of Venus, who had got lost on a voyage and had crash landed on Earth. The Doctor had offered to take him back to Venus but he had no family to go back to so Donna decided he would stay with them and she would raise him instead. She named him Daniel, Danny for short. She loved him with the same ferocity that the Doctor loved Hollie. He had bright blue eyes and dirty blond hair and soon inherited his mother's sharp tongue and fighting spirit. He was Donna's pride and joy. After a run in with the Daleks, Donna saved a intergalactic healer from being exterminated. As a reward for her actions, the healer gave Danny the gift of eternal life, knowing that keeping him safe was the one thing Donna craved over anything else.

The Doctor and Donna remained best friends for the rest of Donna's life and the Doctor's heart broke when she died fighting the Daleks at the age of fifty. She died saving Hollie, the Doctor and Danny from Davros just like Rose had done with the Time Lords. The Doctor took over the care of Danny and vowed to treat him like his own son in honour of Donna. The Doctor took comfort in the fact that Donna had fulfilled her potential and her life's wish: she said she wanted to spend the rest of her life with the Doctor and that's exactly what she did.

Hollie had been present when Rose died. Hollie and the Doctor had been informed that Rose had been taken ill and like her father had done all those years ago, she donned a white coat and the psychic paper and went into her mother's room. She'd sat down beside her bedside and quietly they had talked. Rose talked of her life. She wrote stories based on her dreams and they had done rather well. She'd never had any children and never married. When Hollie asked why she simply replied that she was waiting for someone, even though she had only ever met him once many years ago, whilst finding out who she really was. Hollie had hushed her into a peaceful sleep and then the monitor let out a long dull beep as Rose's heart finally slept alongside her. Hollie walked out to her father and they had held onto each other for a very long time.

And then it was the Doctor's turn. The battle of Hell had been his undoing. At the age of eleven hundred years he was growing weary and tired. He was on his thirteenth regeneration when the battle had commenced. Danny, Hollie and the Doctor fought the fight as good as they ever did but still despite all the chances the Doctor had given Davros he still refused to take it. So the Doctor swallowed the heart of the TARDIS and turned them to dust. His hearts hadn't been able to take the force of the TARDIS and Hollie hadn't been able to reach him in time. His first heart stopped and the other started to slow.

The Doctor has felt the room grow further away. He didn't want to go. He could hear Hollie's voice and he knew he wanted to stay with her. Then he could see her. As beautiful as the last time he had seen her. Hair caramel and eyes hazel. She was here.

"It's time, Doctor, don't be scared, you're home."

And with those words he finally allowed himself to rest.

* * *

Hollie wiped her eyes and clutched the little pot of ashes in her hands. She had spent so long trying to figure out where to scatter them. Then she realised that where it all began was where it should end. Wilfred had planted a rose bush on the allotment as a sort of memorial to who Rose really was and it was the only thing in the allotment that still bloomed. It seemed only right that he could be at a resting place with Rose in some way.

Slowly she knelt down and tipped the contents of the pot onto the base of the bush.

The wind swept up some of the ash and it circled into the air. Hollie stood back as it swept up into the air and drifted away with the wind. She watched as her father flew up into the sky one last time then slowly turned and walked back towards her duties.

* * *

Danny watched from his room as Hollie tinkered with the engine of the TARDIS. She seemed to enjoy working the controls. It gave her something to do. Danny had felt the same amount of grief as her at the loss of the Doctor. He'd become like a father to him and had taught him so much.

Danny took in Hollie's image. Her slender figure, her bright alive eyes, her perfect lips… she was beautiful. Danny had been in love with Hollie for years yet he was still at odds on how to tell her. Yet sometimes he got the impression she didn't need telling. He saw her looking at him sometimes as if she knew all too well and sometimes she looked at him with the same love in her eyes… but maybe that was simply wishful thinking. All he knew was that every touch, every hug, every moment they had made him come alive. He was nearly a hundred years old now though like Hollie you really couldn't tell. And he had many more to come. He had been told of Rose and the Doctor and the love they shared and he held hope that one day he would be able to pursue that with Hollie. She may have been the daughter of the oncoming storm and a legend in her own right but he knew that like her father she was still just a woman and like every other male and female on this planet she needed love.

Danny slowly retreated back into his bedroom and shut his door quietly. He would tell her …but not today. Not yet.

* * *

Hollie inhaled deeply. He'd gone. Gone to sleep anyway. She hated him spying on her yet at the same time she loved it. Knowing he was near made her feel excited, terrified and anxious all at the same time. She'd never met anyone who had been able to have such an incredible mixture of emotions come from her.

Danny and her had been together for fifty years and even now when he was near she felt like a dizzy school girl. His messy blonde hair and blue eyes were captivating. He was truly child of Venus … planet of love because that was exactly what felt when she looked at him. She loved him. She loved him with her whole heart and it petrified her. She now understood the love her parents had shared, how it consumed you until you are totally unable to control it and it becomes part of you. That person is part of you. After over a hundred years, she only now understood why her mother had taken the risk of having her at all when she was totally unaware of what an alien pregnancy could do to her: she was _his _child. Therefore she felt it her duty to take that risk. Now it was Hollie's turn. She'd been infected with love and she hated it. Because she knew that she was running the risk of being broken apart if she ever lost him like her father did with her mother.

In frustration she kicked the machine and walked towards her room. She was sooo tired and she needed to sleep for just a moment. She managed to get a nights sleep a week which was more than what her father had needed yet less than what she had needed as a child. Lying herself down on the bed and closing her eyes, she let the previous week fade away and allowed the power of rest consume her.

* * *

She opened her eyes. The chill wind was biting against her body and her wind was blown all over the place. The ice palace. It was unchanged. The Ood Sphere. She looked over Ood Sigma was standing in the snow. He picked up his ball and it glowed.

"We have waited for you miss and they are waiting too."

He turned and walked down towards the palace. Hollie followed. It had been many years since she had dreamt of this sort of thing. Ever since she had lived in the TARDIS in fact. When you lived it everyday, dreaming it would be slightly wasted.

Standing on the bridge of icicles, the ice towers sparkled in the winter sunlight. It was as breathtaking as it had been all those years previously. She looked at Ood Sigma.

"They will wait miss," he announced. "They will wait until it is time for you to join them."

Hollie turned around and then she saw them. A sight that set her soul on fire. They were all stood together. Wilf, Donna, Martha, Gwen, Ianto, Luke and Sarah Jane. There were her grandparents Jackie and Pete with Tony and the woman in white whom she had seen that fateful day. And there they were in the centre. Her mother and father. Her father in his tenth form and her mother with her caramel locks and hazel eyes. Their hands joined, bodies close together, smiles gently on their faces. Their only child stood before them.

Hollie couldn't move, just gasp her breath and smile, her eyes full.

"Don't be scared." The Doctor whispered. "It really is worth it"

She could hear the trudge of footsteps behind her and Danny joined her. Taking her hand and holding it tight, he saw his mother and took in her image once again. Still as magnificent as ever. The snow blew around them all.

"You will have us back," Rose promised, "but not today. Not yet."


End file.
